India’s Vinod Kumar on Sunday won a bronze medal in the discus throw F52 event at the Tokyo Paralympics. His medal is India’s third at the Games. The first one was won by paddler Bhavina Patel and the second one came from high jumper Nishad Kumar. All three medals were won on Sunday.

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Kumar’s best throw of 19.91m created a new Asian record. Poland’s discus thrower Piotr Kosewicz bagged the gold medal with a best attempt of 20.02m. Croatian athlete Velimir Šandor took home silver by registering a best effort of 19.98m.

Who is Vinod Kumar?

Vinod Kumar injured his legs while training after joining the BSF, falling off a cliff in Leh that left him bed-ridden for close to a decade during which he lost both his parents. The injury resulted in life-long paralysis and the bronze medallist cannot  walk now. 

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Vinod Kumar’s journey began after he watched Deepa Malik win a silver at the shot put event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. Malik was the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Games. 

Vinod ran a grocery shop in Rohtak post paralysis. He was bedridden for 12 years . 

“I faced a lot of financial struggles after being paralysed and started to run a grocery store after taking money from someone. I returned Rs 50,000 I had taken in three years thanks to the shop. I did not have a penny when I went to Paris. My sister helped me at that time. Coach Satyanarayana, my family has helped me reach here,” Vinod Kumar said in an interview with First Post. 

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An  archery coach asked him to take up discus and go to Rohtak, where Amarjeet Singh used to train para athletes. 

“My grocery store was near the stadium and an archery coach who used to visit me asked me to take up a sport. I told him how can I play when I am paralysed. He told me not to worry about that and go to the stadium. I went to the ground, met Amarjeet Singh.”

“He asked me, ‘You have come here but how long will you survive here?’ That comment really pinched me. I made sure I am going to give my all and thanks to that comment, I am here,” Kumar continued. 

Thereafter he trained under coach Satyanarayana. 

In the  World Para Athletes Grand Prix in 2019, Vinod Kumar clinched a bronze medal, his first. He has been staying at the SAI campus in Bengaluru since the last year. He had contracted COVID-19 in March this year. He later went on to win gold at the National level.

He participates in the F52 category. This classification is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, with athletes competing in seated position. It also applies to cervical cord injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and functional disorder.