Sumit Antil went where no Indian track and field athlete has last evening: he defended his Paralympic gold at the Paris Paralympics and became the only Indian to do so.
About 20 hours since his history-creating win, which was also complemented by a Paralympic record, Sumit spoke to select journalists about the kind of pressure he faced, how he spent a sleepless night and watched Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for some inspiration and his dream: to touch the 80m mark.
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Excerpts:
You won gold in Tokyo and Paris. How different were the two experiences?
It was a very different experience in Tokyo because there was no crowd due to the pandemic. But in Paris, the crowd support was very good. No one knew me during Tokyo and this time around people had expectations from me. I was nervous and it felt really good to defend my title from Tokyo. To do that by breaking the Paralympic record, that was the icing on the cake. I don't think of breaking records, I go into the competitions aiming to do my personal best. Kal se accha aaj perform karein [to do better than yesterday], that's what I keep telling myself. I hope Indians can dominate the podium in the future.
Tokyo vs Paris, which was tougher?
I'd say neither was easy, both were equally difficult, and we worked hard. The difference was that I was not injured in Tokyo, but I've been suffering from a back injury for the last year and a half. It will be okay soon, but it needed rest and I competed in back-to-back events so there was no time to rest. Plus, the pressure was more this time.
When you have an injury, those muscles do not support when you're throwing and the load goes into other muscles and that in turn affects your technique. I felt pain in my third throw yesterday and my technique was not the way I wanted it to be. You can call it pressure too, but I hope to stabilize and strengthen my core as soon as possible.
Do you speak with Neeraj Chopra? Did he offer you any tips about the conditions in Paris?
Neeraj and I stay in touch. We talk every 15-odd days about sports. I didn't personally speak to him before Paris, but he sent a message that "it's a very good environment in Paris, don't try anything new and you will have a good experience." And it was a good experience in Paris, I enjoyed competing here.
Why did Neeraj say "Don't try anything new"?
Any athlete, at such a big stage, gets nervous and you tend to lose focus on your technique. Maybe he would have felt that and did not want me to suffer from the same. That's the sign of a humble senior athlete, to guide his juniors. In competitions, you need to replicate what you do in training, and it so happens at times that the technique you worked on ground (during training) does not come out (during the competition). It's an important aspect because technique plays a big role in javelin.
How challenging is it to execute a perfect block on your artificial leg?
My blocking leg is on my left, which is my artificial limb. The main challenge is to maintain its balance. Only two nails of my spikes land on the ground when I'm blocking and it's hard to balance my entire body weight on two spikes. Even yesterday, I felt my balance was loose and hence my throws weren't up to the mark I wanted. Kal kaafi mazza aya [I had fun yesterday] and I'm very happy to have broken the Paralympic record twice.
@sumit_javelin THAT IS HUGE! ��
Gold in the men's javelin throw F64 and owner of the new Paralympic record!
Incredible! �� �� ����#Paralympics | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/5W9yRqH2gP
- Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) September 2, 2024
You said you felt the pressure this time around and barely got any sleep last night...
I know that if I am competing tomorrow, I won't be able to sleep tonight. The adrenaline keeps me up. It's quite normal for elite athletes. I sometimes scroll my phone or meditate. I don't read much but I watch movies here and there. I like watching sports films like 83 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. I was watching short clips of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for inspiration last night.
When people have expectations, the responsibilities on you increase. I wanted to give my best. The pressure is internal to keep getting better and the fear is about not being able to do that well.
Every athlete, at any stage, undergoes pressure. I feel an athlete who does not have pressure is maybe not serious or is a legend of the sport. For me, there was pressure to win back-to-back titles. To be consistent is a big challenge. Reaching the top is easy, but staying on top is very challenging. I just wanted to be consistent and to make the country proud again.
Sandeep Chaudhary finished fourth again yesterday, for the third time in as many Paralympic campaigns. Do you have a message for him?
Fourth-place finishes are very heartbreaking. I don't think anything I can say can make him feel better. He trains in Germany and we don't get to interact as often. He is my senior and we pass on notes during competition, but after a certain level in elite sports, athletes don't need someone to point out what's happening with their technique. They know what to do. Everyone's training style and schedules are different, so we try to not talk about technique much and focus on motivating each other.
One of his throws yesterday looked like it was around 65m...it ended up being a foul but maybe that would have won him a medal. He made the world record in 2019 with a 65m+ throw and he was the first Indian to break that barrier. He was also the first to breach the 60m barrier. He's been nothing but an inspiration for me.
What's next for you?
My first priority is to sort out my back injury. The World Championships in India next October (not confirmed yet) is my next priority. The LA Games are four years away and I am 26 now. Javelin throwers mostly peak around 31 or 32 [Sumit will be 30 then]. Like I did in Paris, I will try to defend my title again in Los Angeles.
I want to hit the 75m mark over the next 1-2 years and my dream is to cross the 80m mark. I really want to experience the feeling of throwing 80m.