Last Updated:
Sumit Antil feels the upcoming World Para-Athletics Championships in India will prove hugely beneficial to the local athletes.
Sumit Antil is a two-time Paralympic gold medallist. (PTI Photo)
As a youngster, Sumit Antil wanted to pursue a career in wrestling and join the Indian Army. Unfortunately, in 2015, when he was just 17 years old, his bike was hit by a speeding truck. As a result, his left leg had to be amputated, and his dreams of becoming a wrestler came crashing down.
A decade later, Sumit is a two-time Paralympic gold medallist javelin thrower, a two-time World Championships gold medallist and also a gold medallist at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
In an interview facilitated by Sun Pharma, Sumit speaks to News18 Sports about his Paralympics performance, the upcoming World Para-Athletics Championships, his wish for an NC Classic-like event for para-athletics and more.
Excerpts
At the Paris Paralympics, you bagged a gold with a Paralympic record. What makes you improve your performance on the biggest stage?
I have been a Paralympic champion twice now. In Tokyo, I was a new boy whom no one knew. So, there was no pressure on me at all. Even if I didn’t perform, no one would bother that much. But before Paris, there was a lot of pressure. Numerous articles were saying that I am a frontrunner for gold.
But we had prepared well, and there has been so much experience now, we can handle the body better. We know what changes come in our body when we are about to participate. Year-round, we practice so much, we just push ourselves to give our 100 per cent on the field on that day.
You had a back injury during that time. How did you manage to still push yourself to break the record and win gold?
Whenever an athlete has an injury, I think the doctors play the biggest role. I cannot read an MRI report, right? My injury wasn’t very serious, but it wasn’t a small one either. But the doctors kept saying that I can recover and it isn’t serious. The way they motivate you at that time and let you know about future injury prevention plays a major role in our careers.
The World Para-Athletics Championships is set to be held this year in Delhi. How excited are you for it, and do you think it will increase the viewership of para-sport in India?
I would like to congratulate everyone involved since the World Championships is being held in India. Our junior athletes will be able to learn a lot of things from the world-class athletes who will come here. I would like to invite the doctors who have treated me to come and watch me play and see how they changed my life.
You already have two gold medals in the World Championships. Does that make you confident enough, or do you believe in beginning from scratch?
It is different to compete as a reigning champion. People look at you differently. But my team and I focus on our targets and perform accordingly. We try to give our best. If you give your best, you will get the gold, and I hope everyone believes in us.
Neeraj Chopra is organising NC Classic. Would you someday like a para-javelin event to be held in India as well?
Yes, we would like to discuss the prospects of holding an event for para-javelin as well. Not just javelin, I would like to see a full-fledged athletics competition being held in India. This is a very good initiative by Neeraj bhai. India is hosting an A-class tournament for the first time.
I am excited to see how the foreign athletes, for whom people travel to other nations to watch them play, will perform in India. Our young athletes will learn a lot from this experience. I would like to congratulate them on such an initiative. I would like to take such an initiative as well in the future.
What made you join the #SecondBirthDate initiative from Sun Pharma?
First of all, I would like to congratulate San Pharma that they have started such a good initiative for the doctors who play a major role in our lives. This is an opportunity to thank our doctors on their special day. When I found out about this campaign, I felt very connected because I, too, have been born again after an accident.
- First Published:
