Indian track-and-field para-athletes snared four more gold medals on Thursday, with Shailesh Kumar leading the country’s sweep of the men’s high jump T63 competition, and sprinters Anjanaben Bumbadiya and Dilip Mahadu Gavit finishing on top in their respective 400m T47 events at the Asian Para Games here.
Defending champion Dharmaraj Solairaj smashed the Asian record with a jump of 7.15m to claim the gold in the men’s T44/T62/T64 combined long jump, securing the fourth gold of the day for India.
Bumbadiya clinched the gold in the women’s 400m T47 event with a time of 59.97 seconds and was followed by compatriot Jayanti Behera (1:00.65s) in second place. Thailand’s Sasirawan Inthachot took the bronze with 1:02.58s.
“This is just my second international competition and to have won a gold here gives me immense happiness. All I wanted to do was give my best and I am happy I could do it in this event,” Bumbadiya said after the race.
In the men’s high jump T63 competition, Shailesh, who won a long jump bronze on Wednesday, led India’s domination with a Games record effort of 1.89m. Former Paralympic bronze-winner Varun Bhati secured the silver with a season’s best of 1.84m, while Rahul ended with the bronze after a jump of 1.81m.
Later, Gavit, who claimed the top spot in the 100m event on Wednesday, won the men’s 400m T47 race by clocking 48.27s.
Bhavikkumar Bharwad had initially finished second behind him with a time of 49.31s but was eventually disqualified for a second lane infringement.
The bronze that had gone to Japan’s Ishida Kakeru (49.58s) was upgraded to silver. Uzbekistan’s Marufjon Murodulloev (50.03s) got the bronze.
In the men’s long jump event, Indian Army Subedar Dharmaraj Solairaj, who competes in the T64 classification, opened with a 6.88m jump before leaping to a record-breaking 7.15m in his second attempt to clinch gold.
The Tamil Nadu jumper recorded distances of 6.82m and 6.85m in his next two attempts before fouling his fifth and sixth attempts.
Malaysia’s Eddy Bernard (T44) won silver with a best jump of 6.34m, while local favourite Yuma Tamaki (T64) claimed bronze with a personal best of 6.89m.
After losing a leg, Solairaj took up sports in 2018 and went on to become a para-athlete representing India in the long jump.
T64, T62 and T44 athletes often compete together in a combined event as World Para Athletics groups lower-limb classes together to ensure enough competitors and fair competition.
In the women’s 400m T12 event, visually impaired Tejalben Damor won her second medal of the Games by finishing with a silver after clocking 57.60s. She had earlier won a bronze in the 200m T12 competition.
In the women’s 400m T11 event, Ravanni Valasanaini claimed bronze with a personal best of 1:03.64s.
The T47 category covers athletes with a below-elbow amputation, wrist amputation or similar upper-limb deficiency/impairment affecting one arm.
T63 classification is for athletes who have a through-knee or above-knee amputation or limb deficiency.
The athletes compete with a lower-limb prosthesis featuring a knee joint for running and jumping. The Indian high jump trio usually competes in the T42 category, which covers athletes with lower-limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement affecting hip and knee function.
T64 is for long jumpers whose lower-limb movement is moderately affected, or who have an amputation of one or both legs below the knee, while T62 is for athletes with a bilateral below-the-knee (double) limb deficiency or impairment who compete standing up using running prostheses.
T44 is for lower-limb-impaired athletes who compete using two anatomical limbs without prostheses.