India’s para athletes made history at the Paralympics with a thrilling 1-2 finish, driven by Pranav Soorma’s inspirational silver in the Dharambir club throw record-breaking gold.
Dharambir the winner of the club throw gold medal from the first-ever Indian club throw medal winners. These two sportsmen overcame adversity to represent their country with honours in the 2024 Paralympic Games. India created history in the men’s club throw F51 event at the 2024 Paralympics by finishing first and second in an incredible match. With a stunning throw of 34.92 meters, Dharambir, 35, broke the Asian record and won India’s first-ever medal in this event. Another rising star from India, Pranav Soorma, won the silver with an incredible throw of 34.59 meters, creating history in Indian athletics.
After a diving accident in his hometown of Sonipat, Haryana, left Dharambir paralyzed from the waist down, his life took an unexpected turn. He discovered a new love for parasports in 2014 and began training in club throw under the tutelage of Amit Kumar Saroha, a fellow para-athlete. Dharambir’s perseverance paid off as he was able to get a spot at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Since then, he has continuously performed well on the international scene, and his gold medal from the 2024 Paralympics—which he won with a throw of 34.92 meters—marked the apex of his career. Dharambir’s story is a testament to his inner strength and capacity to turn hardship into victory.
The inspiring stories
The narrative of Pranav Soorma is similarly motivational. Pranav suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury at the age of sixteen from a falling cement sheet, which rendered him paralyzed. In spite of this, he took up parasports while he was in the hospital and discovered a new calling in sports. Though Pranav has medals from international competitions such as the Tunisia Grand Prix and Serbia Open, his greatest highlight was winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paralympics, just behind Dharambir, with a throw of 34.59 meters.
Dharambir and Pranav create history
The September 4 event, which took place in the legendary Stade de France, was a turning point in India’s Paralympic history. This time, Dharambir—who had finished in first place with a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics—performed even better, increasing his distance by almost 10 meters to take the top spot. In addition to being a personal victory, his gold medal represented a significant accomplishment for India as it was the nation’s first-ever gold in the Paralympic club throw.
The path that led Pranav Soorma to silver was equally motivating. Pranav has demonstrated extraordinary fortitude in overcoming a spinal cord injury that changed his life, turning his personal tragedy into a triumphant tale via parasports.
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