Yogesh Kathuniya is an Indian Paralympian, famous for representing India at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. He won a silver medal in the men’s discus F56 event.
Wiki/Biography
Yogesh Kathuniya was born on Monday, March 3, 1997, in Delhi, India (age 24; as of 2021). His zodiac sign is Pisces. Yogesh completed his schooling from Army Public School, Chandigarh and then went to Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in commerce. When Yogesh was eight years old, his life changed forever. He was paralyzed, and upon further testing, it was discovered that he had a rare disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome. In addition to this, he has been diagnosed with quadriplegia, which requires him to use a wheelchair due to loss of strength in his leg muscles.
appearance
Height (approximately): 6′2″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Yogesh’s father, Gyanchand Kathuniya, is a retired Indian Army personnel. His mother’s name is Meena Devi. Yogesh has a married sister.
Yogesh Kathuniya and family
Gillian-Barré syndrome
Yogesh was required to use a wheelchair after he was diagnosed with a rare disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome and quadriplegia, and doctors told his parents there was no improvement. In school, classmates would tease Yogesh about his disability, and he lost interest in participating in sports. However, his mother was dedicated to helping Yogesh regain his muscle strength and she studied physical therapy to help Yogesh. It took her three years of physical therapy, and Yogesh finally regained his muscle strength and got out of a wheelchair. His mother said in an interview——
Apart from the Army Hospital, I also went to places like Agra, Meerut and Jaipur when I was told to go to a local masseuse to give Yogesh a massage. I remember once, in the sweltering heat of June, I spent more than twenty days with a well-known massage specialist in a village on the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway. I also studied physical therapy, and when Yogesh recovered, the doctors at the base hospital told me it was a miracle. “
Childhood photos of Yogesh Kathuniya (middle) with friends
In 2017, Yogesh enrolled in Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, where he made some new friends. Yogesh met Sachin Yadav, a varsity athlete and student union general secretary. Yogesh said in an interview——
Sachin Yadav is the students union general secretary at Kirori Mal College in New Delhi, where I pursued my bachelor’s degree in commerce. He encouraged me to take up a sport and motivated me by showing videos of para-athletes. Somehow I fell in love with the discus and decided to give it a try. “
Profession
After entering college in 2017, with the encouragement of friends, Yogesh began to show interest in sports. Yogesh’s college coach observed his strong physique and interest in sports, and Yogesh began practicing and participating in college events and competitions. Soon, he started training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi under the guidance of renowned national level coach Naval Singh. In 2018, Yogesh made his international debut at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin. He failed to make the podium, but he threw the Frisbee 45.18 m, setting a world record. In 2019, he won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. The bronze medal win helped him retain his spot at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Yogesh won the silver medal in the discus throw with a distance of 44.38 m.
Yogesh Kathuniya poses with the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
medal
- Won a bronze medal in the F56 men’s discus event at the 2019 Dubai World Para Athletics Championships
- Won a silver medal in the F56 men’s discus event at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics
Facts/Trivia
- After he won the 2020 Summer Paralympics, his mother spoke to the media about the difficulties they faced when he was diagnosed with the syndrome. she says-
Although doctors at Chandi Mandir Command Hospital say they will not be able to see Yogesh walk in the future, I don’t believe that. For over two years I would tie him with a piece of cloth to my Scooty and take him to Command Hospital and PGIMER for physical therapy. Seeing Yogesh strapped into a wheelchair and winning the silver medal in Tokyo reminded me of those tough days. Silver is more valuable to us than gold. “
- Yogesh is close friends with Asian medalist Neeraj Yadav, who helped Yogesh in his initial days. With the help of other friends and Neeraj Yadav, Yogesh was able to start training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. His family also took a small loan from his friend and Neeraj Yadav to finance his first overseas tournament. Yogesh’s mother said in an interview——
Friends like Neeraj helped Yogesh and that was their silver medal. “
- Before competing in the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Yogesh had been staying at home due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, during which he had gained over 15 kg in weight. This affected Yogesh’s performance on the pitch. In 2020, Naval Singh tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and unfortunately, he tested positive again in May 2021. To continue his training, Yogesh was sent to Sonipat to train with 2018 Asian Games silver medalist Virender Dhankar.
Yogesh Kathuniya practices discus throw
- Yogesh loves sweets and his favorite sweet is ras malai. His mother said in an interview——
Bimar hone se pehle bhi 4-5plate ras malai kha jata tha aur abhi bhi yahi shauq hai (Before getting sick, he could eat 4-5 plates of ras malai, same now). But we never complained and upon his return he could buy as many ras malais as he wanted from the famous sweet shop in Ballabhgarh. “
- Yogesh won the shot put gold medal at the 2018 Para Athletics Open in Bengaluru.
Yogesh Kathuniya’s Instagram post about the gold medal
- Yogesh started a YouTube channel called “Bichu Don Gaming” during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Yogesh posted the gameplay of the famous battle royale mobile game PUBG on his channel. He also posts vlogs of his training sessions and daily life on the channel.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education