On a night for India where double podiums at the 2024 Paris Paralympics were all the rage, the men's javelin throw T46 final proved similarly fruitful, with Ajeet Singh (silver) and Sundar Singh Gurjar (bronze) adding to India's medal tally. Their two medals officially pushed India beyond their record haul in Tokyo, with the contingent winning 20 medals so far in Paris .
With Rinku Hooda, who won silver at the Worlds earlier this year also in action, there were genuine hopes for an unprecedented triple podium, but it was not to be. The 2024 World Champion Guillermo Gonzalez of Cuba won gold with a continental record throw of 66.14m, with Ajeet behind him with a personal best throw of 65.62m, while world record holder Gurjar managed 64.96m. Rinku finished in fifth place with a throw of 61.58m.
PARALYMPICS 2024 KEY DATES | EVERY MEDAL WON BY INDIA AT THE PARALYMPICS | PARALYMPIC CLASSIFICATIONS EXPLAINED
The competition was clearly in different fields right from the off - the three Indians and Gonzalez the only ones to clear the 60m mark after Round 3. They didn't know it yet then, but gold had already been decided, Gonzalez running in to throw 66.14m in only his second throw of the night. It was a throw that was short of both the Paralympic and World record, but drew excited gasps from the crowd at the Stade de France in Paris, who instantly knew they had witnessed a great feat.
Gonzalez's throw was a continental record, but all eyes were on Gurjar, whose world record of 68.60m, that won him gold at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou last year would have been enough to win here. However, the Indian saw many of his throws disrupted by medal ceremonies of other events but remained in contention ever since his first throw of the night (62.92m) put him in second place.
Gurjar had the pedigree and the resilience, having dealt with thoughts of ending his life after an accident claimed his left hand in his younger days. The 28-year-old seemed to be rising to the challenge, aiming to better his bronze medal from the Tokyo Paralympics when he threw the javelin 64.96m in his fourth throw and remained in second place.
For Ajeet, who had finished a distant eighth in Tokyo, staying in contention for bronze medal seemed enough. However, the 30-year-old, who'd lost his arm when attempting to save a friend who'd fallen from a train, was in no charitable mood for his fellow Indians this night. He stormed into his fifth throw with purpose and let fly, throwing the javelin farther than he had ever thrown -- a staggering 65.62m -- even better than the 65.41m that made him a world champion in 2023.
It threw a spanner in the works for the Indian support in the stands, who had been championing Gurjar all night. Ajeet had stolen his thunder, and then some. As all the throwers ran in for their final efforts, the Indian contingent's joy was slightly tempered by the sight of Rinku, head in hands, face hidden inside his shirt as he finished fifth.
One last throw of the javelin for both Gurjar and Ajeet then, their medals confirmed -- now just deciding the colour. It proved anti-climactic, with both throwing underwhelming efforts and deliberately fouling out. The fact that they had earned India's first-ever Paralympics double podium in men's javelin was decidedly not anti-climactic, and capped off a stunning night when India went farther in the medal tally than ever, propelled by the arms of these two champions -- Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar.