Sundar Singh Gurjar is an Indian para-athlete who competes in javelin, shot put and discus. He came into the spotlight at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics when he won bronze with a throw of 64.1m in his fifth attempt. He is also the world record holder with 68.42m at the 16th Paralympic National Championships held on March 26, 2016 at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula (Haryana). Unfortunately, the throw was not sanctioned as the event is not recognized by the world body.
Wiki/Biography
Sundar Singh Gurjar was born on Monday, January 1, 1996, in Hindaun village, Karauli district, Rajasthan (25 years old as of 2021). His zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Sujjar Singh Gujjar in infancy
In 2012, he traveled to Jaipur and started staying at a sports hotel and training under coach Mahavir Prasad Saini.
Sundar Singh Gurjar and his coach Mahavir Prasad Saini
During the first days of training, he chose wrestling as his sport because both his father and brother loved it. He was even spotted competing in wrestling matches. After seeing his thin frame, his coach encouraged him to pursue track and field. Soon he was competing at the youth level.
appearance
Height (approximately): 6′
Hair color: natural black
Eye color: brown
family
parents
Sundar Singh belongs to the Hindu Gurjar family. His father is a farmer.
Sundar Singh Gujjar’s father
His mother’s name is Kalia Devi and she is a housewife.
Sundar Singh Gujjar’s mother Kaliya Devi
left arm injury
Everything was going well until 2015, when suddenly his life took a drastic turn while he was working on sheet metal at a friend’s house. A heavy piece of metal landed on the wrist of his left arm, causing it to be permanently lost. Shocked by what happened, he fell into depression and thought he could never pursue the javelin again.Recalling that time, he said
I thought this was the end of my career. Then I met RD Singh and within a month I was back training. “
Sundar Singh Gurjar performs after accident
Profession
A few months after the accident, he soon joined the training center in Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) where he met Mr. RD Singh, Director of the Institute and Dronacharya Award recipient . Since then, he has participated in many national youth level competitions and achieved success. In 2016, he received his first international assignment at the 8th Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. He achieved 59.36m in the javelin event along with teammate Rishi Kant Sharma.
Sundar Singh Gurjar wins medal at the 8th Dubai Grand Prix in Dubai in March 2016
Initially, 24 members of the Indian team participated in the event, but their participation was denied by the IPC Para Athletics authorities. The reason was that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) was unable to forward their entries on time. In the end, only 11 team members were able to participate, and the rest were sent home despite wasting 80,000 rupees out of their own pockets.
Sports Authority of India (SAI), headed by Sandip Pradhan
Sundar Singh quickly entered the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games with an ‘A’ grade. Virendra Singh (discus and shot put) is the other team. In order to qualify directly for this event, candidates should maintain a top 5 ranking before April 2016. The remaining competitors are Class “A” and “B” qualified athletes. Dronacharya Award winner RD Singh, owner of a training center in Rajasthan, appreciated Sundar Singh and said:
“If all goes well, you could see Sander win an Olympic medal. His throws are so good that he could easily add a few more meters by the time of the Rio Olympics. Until November last year, Sander won the junior title in the general category. National gold medal. But he lost his left hand in an accident.”
But the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Brazil) did not have any rewards for the young man, although he was considered one of the main contenders for the event, because during the registration process, he could not hear his name called . He missed the opportunity by just 52 seconds. Later in an interview, he revealed his feelings:
“A little miscommunication led to life changes. I was never told a set time and I didn’t understand when my name was announced. The whole world knows that I am the best javelin thrower and have been in the competition for the past few years. I was the best in my category for months. I didn’t understand English and couldn’t read or speak the language. That disqualification left me with a nervous breakdown. What followed was a long period of depression, six full I did nothing for months. I didn’t want to touch the javelin again. But my coach Mahabir Prasad Saini took me for counseling and arranged sessions with motivational speakers. The rest is history .”
At the following season’s Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai in March 2017, he proved his talent by scoring 60.33m in the javelin throw. He also achieved a score of 44.56m in the discus and excelled in the shot put. He successfully ended the campaign with three gold medals. He continued his winning streak and won the gold medal at the 8th World Para Athletics Championships in July 2017 with a personal best of 60.36m in the javelin event, becoming the first man after Devendra Jhajariya to win the gold medal. Two Indians have won gold medals in World Paralympic history. The event was held at the London Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The venue also hosted the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. He then had another extraordinary day in his life at the Para-Asian Games in Jakarta (Indonesia) in October 2018, when he won the silver medal in the javelin with a throw of 61.33m, while his opponent Sundar Sundar Singh won the bronze medal. In the discus throw, the score was 47.10m. A total of 302 Indian delegations participated in the event, with Mariyappan Thangavelu (flag bearer) leading the procession during the inauguration ceremony.
Sundar Singh Gurjar at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games
In 2019, he suffered a serious shoulder injury while training, which caused him to miss several months of competition, but he was not affected by this. In 2019, he won the gold medal in the javelin throw at the World Para Athletics Championships with a best time of 61.22m. Throwing items. He overtook Sri Lanka’s Dinesh P Herath Mudiyanselage.
Sundar Singh Gurjar after winning at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships
But the real joy of success came when he qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games along with teammates Rinku Hooda and Ajeet Singh.He expressed his joy in the interview
“I’m very happy. It’s a relief. I came into this tournament without any training for the past month. I got injured in training so I had to have a tap on the shoulder today. When I trained, I Feeling pain. But I was lucky during the final I didn’t feel it. I felt like my body was well rested. It was a blessing in disguise. On my last try, I knew I had made it. But never realized This will be my best season yet. It’s a good jump. It will motivate me to compete for a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.”
He also achieved the rare honor of becoming only the second Indian to win two World Championship medals in the para-sport category. Devendra Jhajharia was the first player to win gold and silver medals at Lyon 2013 and Doha 2015. When the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the country’s population of more than 1 million, he was again forced to miss the game for about three months. He did not want to lose motivation, so one day he appeared before Rajasthan Sports Minister Ashok Chandna and urged him to open the Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur) for him so that he could continue training. The sports minister approved his request.
Sundar Singh Gurjar with Sports Minister of Rajasthan
Recalling that stage, he said
“I didn’t want to sit at home and wait for something to happen. So, I requested our minister and he allowed me to use a hotel. It was not easy as the entire country was under lockdown but Mr. Chandna left no stone unturned to help me out.”
He also revealed how his regular practice during lockdown has improved his game and prepared him for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.He further added
“I have now thrown more than 68 meters. This boosts my confidence for the Tokyo Olympics because 63.97 meters is the world record. But I will not take it lightly. “This is the best thing that has happened before Tokyo. “
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Paralympics could not be held in 2020 and will therefore be held in August 2021. There were 53 other Paralympians besides him, making it a tough competition for him. The competition also features archery, badminton, taekwondo, shooting, swimming, disabled kayaking, table tennis and other events. Badminton and taekwondo were introduced for the first time in this Paralympic Games.
Team India poses ahead of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
He is one of the leading contenders for a javelin medal in this major event. He got off to a slow start at first, but eventually he cleared 64.01m on his fifth attempt to take home the bronze medal for the national team. His opponent Devendra Jhajharia won the gold, taking India’s medal tally to 19, its highest tally in a Paralympic sport to date.
Sundar Singh Gurjar’s friends gather outside his home after he won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
He was given a warm welcome by his family and supporters at Delhi Airport. He attributes his success to his coach Mahavir Prasad Saini.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
He has received several awards during his career, including the prestigious Arjuna Award from the Government of India in 2019. He also won the Best Athlete Award at the 2016 National Championships in Gurgaon, India, and the 2017 ESPN India Athlete of the Year for the Differently-abled.
Sundar Singh Gurjar receives Arjuna Award 2019 from state Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju
Facts/Trivia
- He belongs to the F46 category. F46 is a specialized training for disabled players with arm deficiencies or lack of movement in the arm ligaments.
- He had poor academic performance since childhood. When he was in eighth grade, he told his gymnastics teacher that he wanted to choose sports as a career. He is inspired by athletes like wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh. His teacher then suggested that he try out for sports. On advice, he went on trial and was selected.
- He is a student who rarely misses classes to practice sports and is often discovered by his parents.
- After winning a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he thanked everyone who supported him on television.He also said
“I’m very happy to win a medal in Tokyo. I was disqualified in Rio 2016 and now I have a bronze medal.”
- He always kept training and despite bad days, he never missed a training session.
- He currently works as an assistant ranger with the Forest Service.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education