Finally, India gets a gold at Athens Games

Indian Olympic history was made in Athens on Tuesday night when Devendra Kumar won a gold and broke the world record in the javelin throw. W...

Indian Olympic history was made in Athens on Tuesday night when Devendra Kumar won a gold and broke the world record in the javelin throw. We’re talking Paralympics, the current version of the Games being held at the venue of the regular Olympics.

And last night Devendra from Sadulpur in Rajasthan, bettered his own world mark of 59.77m with a throw of 62.15m in the F-44/46 category to become India’s third gold medallist in the history of the Games, the equivalent of the Olympics for the disabled.

Top-seeded Devendra’s domination in the event for the past couple of years can be gauged from the fact that the silver medallist — China’s Gao — could manage only 55.57m, less even than Devendra’s previous best from the Birmingham World Championships in 2003.

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Participants at the Paralympics are grouped together according to disability; the F-44/46 category includes amputees and those afflicted with polio. Other categories include wheelchair-bound athletes, those affected by cerebral palsy, blindness or orthopaedic handicaps.

While Devendra, according to reactions coming in, expressed elation after his performance — ‘‘I expected to win, but it is still a dream come true’’ — his achievement has done wonders for the confidence of the differently-abled sportspersons’ community in India. A community that has done its bit to make the country proud down the years without being accorded status or respect.

‘‘It will open a new chapter’’, says Ramesh Tikaram, the shuttler and athlete awarded the Arjuna for in 2003. ‘‘I am very proud of Devender. I have known him for some years now, I have kept track of his progress and I know that he has done remarkably well for the past couple of years, starting with the world record in Birmingham last year.’’

Tennis player Boniface Prabhu also commended Devendra’s achievement. ‘‘It is the best news I have heard in a long time’’, he said. ‘‘It is not just a gold medal for him. It is a gold medal for all of us. The whole nation should be proud.’’

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Prabhu goes on to make a case for the community as well, saying, ‘‘It is a gold medal at the biggest stage of them all. When people like Anju Bobby George and others do well, they get lakhs of rupees. This is an Indian’s best showing since the hockey gold in the 1980 Olympics. Shouldn’t we acknowledge the win in the right spirit and give him the encouragement he needs?’’

While the other Indian athletes at Athens haven’t done so well yet, Devendra’s gold has catapulted India from nowhere to 42nd in the medals’ tally.

The police said that Kumar, a resident of Turbhe MIDC in Navi Mumbai, was driving his concrete mixer truck when it collided with an SUV.

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