"Will break the world record someday": India's men javelin F46 champion Rinku after World Para Athletics C'ships triumph

New Delhi [India], September 29 (ANI): Following India's double podium finish in the men's javelin F46 event, India's Paralympian and newly-crowned World Para Athletics Championships gold medalist Rinku Hooda expressed happiness with his performance and his desire to break the world record someday.

India continued their solid run at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, securing their first double podium at the marquee event with Rinku Hooda and Sundar Singh Gurjar earning their gold and silver medals in the men's javelin F46 event on Monday.

As per ESPN, Rinku and Gurjar had a see-saw battle right from the start, and it was Rinku's fourth attempt of 66.37 m, which landed him the gold and also broke the Championship record. Gurjar was at second with his best throw of 64.76 m, being his fifth one.

Ajeet Singh, India's Paris Paralympics 2024 silver medalist, narrowly fell short of a bronze medal and an Indian clean sweep at the podium as the Paralympic and defending world champion, Guillermo Varona Gonzalez of Cuba, took home the bronze with a throw of 63.34 m, as compared to Ajeet's best throw of 61.77 m.

Speaking to the media after his medal win, Rinku said that it was his day and everything had gone in his favour, and he also thanked some of his family members for attending the event.

Rinku recalled how, for the last three to four years, he was preparing himself for the gold, but had to settle for silver in many events.

"I was thinking that someday it will happen. Today, I was more focused on my training and what I had been doing there, not on technique. I had some training sessions in SAI Rohtak. The result of all these sessions is finally here. I was confident of touching 67-68 right from my first throw, but I got 66 and a gold medal," he added.

Rinku also has his focus on the Asian Games next year in Japan.

"Before that, I want to play in local competitions like Grand Prix and Nationals. I will break the world record someday, if god blesses me with that day. Indian para-sports has been doing well over last three four years and we would see 24-25 medals in this competition," he added.

Gurjar, who got the silver medal, expressed happiness that India is conducting such a big sporting event for the first time ever and two medals went to India. However, he hoped that his compatriot, Ajeet, would also get a bronze medal.

"Our (Rinku's and his own) performance was also not that good. But still, we got the medals. We will do better in the Asian Games. I had some pain. So I could not perform well. But still I tried. And I won the silver medal," he added.

Gurjar said that he was talking to Rinku and Ajeet both while competing, hoping that all three of them would get a podium finish.

Ajeet, who finished fourth, expressed his dissapointment despite having very good practice sessions.

"I was hoping to do my personal best and above that. But I think this was not my day. I tried, but it was not possible. I put in a lot of effort and tried till the end. But the result was not there," he added.

The athlete also said that when one is not on the podium, they get time to analyse their performance.

"Maybe this was an opportunity for me. Now I will analyse all the performance, how it was, and we'll work on it, and we will come next year to the Asian Games with a good mindset," he concluded.

This has taken India's medal tally in the tournament to five, including two gold, two silver and a bronze medal.

Two days back, it was para high-jumper Shailesh Kumar who secured the country's first gold medal in the T63 high jump competition.

Shailesh secured the best jump of 1.91 m, securing not only the gold medal but also setting a championship record, as per ESPN.

The podium was completed by the USA's Paralympic champion Ezra Frech (1.85 m). India's Varun Singh Bhatti jumped 1.85 m as well and got the bronze medal.

Another Indian participant, Rahul, finished fourth, achieving the best jump of 1.78 m.

India's Paralympic bronze medalist from last year and world champion from the 2024 Kobe World Championships, Deepthi Jeevanji, failed to defend her title in the women's 400m T20 category, finishing with a silver medal in 55.16 seconds.

Deepthi qualified for the medal round in first place in the second heat. She took 58.35 seconds, which was her season's best performance at that time.

On this action-packed day on Monday, Great Britain's Sabrina Fortune annexed her fourth women's Shot Put F20 gold medal with a World Record, even as Rinku Hooda claimed a memorable men's Javelin Throw F46 gold for India, beating the past three champions.

There were five other Championship Records rewritten on Monday evening, none more popular than the one set at 66.37m by Rinku Hooda in winning the high-voltage men's Javelin Throw F46 final from his more experienced team-mate Sundar Singh Gurjar. For the home crowd, it would have been more memorable had Ajeet Singh completed a medal sweep.

It was a riveting contest that saw two Indians duelling for the top spot - and the Championship Record. Rinku Hooda threw the gauntlet down opening with 63.81m for a new mark, but Sundar Singh Gurjar sent the spear soaring over 64.11m on the third try to claim the record. However, a pumped-up Rinku Hooda regained it with his fifth attempt to seal the win.

The defending champion Guillermo Varona Gonzalez (Cuba) claimed bronze with 53,34m ahead of the 2023 World Champion Ajeet Singh (61.77) to deny the home sweep of the medals. However, in beating the past three champions - including Sundar Singh Gurjar, who had tasted such success in 2019 - Rinku Hooda showcased his mental strength and skill with the Javelin.

Aware that the stands would be reverberating with support for the Indian F46 trio in the Javelin Throw final happening alongside, she wasted no time in nailing the World Record with her opening throw over 16.75m. Each of subsequent five tries, ranging from 13.99m to 15.71m was good enough to get her gold on Monday.

Sabrina Fortune said she was surprised by the world record. "I just was not expecting that today. It's so, so hot. So many things have gone wrong in the last week. It is just one of those things that makes you so happy. I cannot put into words how much. I just want to jump up and down and run the whole track, but I might overheat, trying to do that," she said as per a Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) press release.

Reflecting on her journey as a four-time world champion, she said it was down to having a good coach and good places to train. "I had a few years where I just didn't improve, and I feel it's just coming back now, and I am improving. Honestly, as long as you believe in yourself, I think it'll always carry on," she said.

A day after winning the 5000m T54 gold, Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner returned to the track to claim the 800m T53 crown in 1:40.15, knocking nearly 15 seconds off the old record set by Australian Madison de Rozario in 2019.

Joel De Jong (Netherlands) in the men's Long Jump T63 final where he beat the erstwhile Championships Record holder, Leon Schaefer of Germany by a 12cm margin. Angie Nicoll Mejia Morales (Colombia) in the women's 100m T38 and China's Zou Lijuan who improved her own women's Javelin Throw F34 record set in 2017 were the others who held center stage.

Zou Lijuan's gold, coming with Zao Caiyun's silver, helped China return to the top of the medal table with 4 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze ahead of Brazil's four gold, seven silver and two bronze. Similarly, the 1-2 that Rinku Hooda and Sundar Singh Gurjar earned for India saw the home team rise to sixth place on the charts with two gold, two silver and 1 bronze.

Long before the men's F46 Javelin Throw competition started, Chaiwat Rattana (Thailand), who set the men's 400m T34 world record at 47.94 seconds in the heats on Sunday, claimed gold in 48.01. He trailed Australian Rheed McCracken at the 200m mark, but he handled the second half of the one-lapper with calm and focus to win comfortably. (ANI)

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