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Close on the heels of Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal in track and field at the Tokyo Olympics, the star-studded Indian athletics team is looking to shine at the Paralympics. Indian track and field athletes' success at the Paralympics is nothing new. The country has seen multiple gold medals from the likes of javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu in the past.
But this time they have a chance to secure their highest medal haul in the discipline. Spearheaded by Jhajharia and Thangavelu, the 24-member track and field contingent is bubbling with talents who have the capability to strike it rich in Tokyo.
As we wait for the Games to begin, let's have a look at everything you need to know about India's track and field team at the Tokyo Paralympics.
When and where will the track and field events be held at the Tokyo Paralympics?
167 medal events (93 for men, 73 for women, 1 mixed) will be held at the National Stadium in Tokyo, where 1100 athletes from 129 nations will compete. The track and field events will be held from 27 August-5 September.
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Read: Tokyo Paralympics 2021: India schedule with timings [IST] and telecast details for all events
Classification of track and field athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics
(T & F denote track and field events respectively)
Let's get into the details of how athletes are classified into different categories in track and field at the Paralympics.
T/F11-13: This category is for athletes who are blind (11) and visually impaired (12-13).
T/F20: Athletes with intellectual impairment compete in this category.
T/F 31-38: In this section, athletes with cerebral palsy or other coordination impairments will participate. While 31-34 are for wheelchair events, 35-38 are reserved for running.
F40-41: This is for athletes with dwarfism.
T/F 42-47: Athletes who have had to undergo amputations will be contending in these events.
T/F 51-58: Athletes impacted by a spinal cord injury or disability are in this section.
T/F 61-64: Athletes affected by limb deficiency or leg length difference will compete in this category.
Indian track and field athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics
Men
Javelin F-46 - Devendra Jhajharia, Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar
Devendra Jhajharia needs no introduction. The Rajasthan-born javelin thrower ended India's 32-year wait for a Paralympics gold at Athens in 2004 and repeated the feat 12 years later in Rio by bettering his own world record. Jhajharia has also been a world champion in 2013.
Age hasn't slowed down the 40-year-old and he remains hungry as ever as he sets sights on a historic third gold at the Paralympics.
Ajeet Singh is a 27-year-old javelin thrower from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, who has been making his mark for the past couple of years. He has a gold medal from the 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Beijing and a bronze from the World Para Athletics Championships the same year.
Rajasthan's 25-year-old Sundar Singh Gurjar was considered one of India's brightest medal prospects five years ago in Rio, where an unfortunate incident took place. He apparently couldn't understand the announcer's accent when his name was being called and arrived 52 seconds late only to be disqualified.
Gurjar bounced back quickly to win gold medals at the 9th FAZZA IPC Athletics Grand Prix and the IPC World Championships the following year. He added medals in javelin as well as discus throw at the 2018 Asian Para Games and will be looking for redemption at the upcoming Paralympics.
Javelin F-64 - Sandeep Chaudhary and Sumit
India has a chance to win multiple gold medals in javelin throw with the likes of Sandeep Chaudhary and Sumit added to the Paralympics squad.
Chaudhary burst into the spotlight at the 2018 Asian Para Games, where he set a new world record of 60.01m en route to winning the yellow metal. The Rajasthan athele took that form to the World Para Athletics Championships the following year where he once again topped the podium. This time he hurled the javelin to a new world record distance of 66.18m.
Read: All you need to know about the Indian contingent for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo
Chaudhary won the gold earlier this year at the 2021 Dubai Grand Prix and will be arriving in Tokyo with a lot of momentum behind him.
Haryana’s para javelin thrower Sumit Antil has a silver medal from the 2019 World Para-Athletics among his achievements. He will be coming to Tokyo in smashing form having broken the world record twice earlier this year. Antil's 66.90m throw at the 19th Para-Athletics Championships bettered his own record of 66.43m set at the Patiala leg of the Indian Grand Prix.
High jump T-63 - Mariyappan Thangavelu, Sharad Kumar and Varun Singh Bhati
This is another strong category for India where multiple medals can be expected. Salem's 26-year-old Mariyappan Thangavelu put up a stunning performance at Rio to take the T-42 gold. He qualified for Tokyo with a bronze medal-winning effort at the World Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai a couple of years ago.
Patna's Sharad Kumar is another of India's celebrated para high jumpers. The former World No. 1 has a couple of gold medals from the Asian Para Games and a silver from the IPC World Championships. Having finished sixth at Rio, he will be eager for a podium finish at the Tokyo Paralympics.
26-year-old Varun Singh Bhati won the bronze at the Rio Paralympics and will be looking to improve the color of the medal this time around. He also has medals from the World Para Athletics Championships and the Asian Para Games.
Club throw F-51 - Amit Kumar and Dharambir
Arjuna awardee Amit Kumar Saroha has been one of India's top para athletes. He was crowned the Asian Games champion in Club Throw F-51 at the 2014 Asian Para Games and also has a couple of silver medals from the IPC Athletics World Championships. He has also mentored quite a few of his fellow athletes and inspired them to reach new heights.
Rohtak's 32-year-old Dharambir won silver at the Asian Para Games in 2018 and will hope to make an impact at the Tokyo Paralympics.
High jump T-47 - Nishad Kumar and Ram Pal
Nishad Kumar won a bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2019 to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics. More recently, he won the gold medal at the 12th Fazza Championships World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2021 in Dubai.
Sonipat's Ram Pal Chahar, meanwhile, finished second best at the Asian Para Games in 2018.
Shot put F-57 - Sonam Rana
Army havildar Sonam Rana has played into form with a gold medal at the Tunis World Para Athletics Grand Prix earlier in the year and currently stands at No. 2 in the world rankings.
Read: From being army boxer to para-shot putter – Soman Rana is all set to represent India in Paralympics
Javelin F-41 - Navdeep
Navdeep was brilliant at the 2021 Fazza Athletics Grand Prix earlier in the year, where he won a gold to rise to the World No. 3 position.
High jump T-64 - Praveen Kumar
Teenager Praveen Kumar put in a performance to remember at the Fazza International World Para Athletics Grand Prix earlier in the year to finish with a gold and an Asian record.
Discus throw F-56 - Yogesh Kathuniya
Haryana's Yogesh Kathuniya has been making rapid strides for the past couple of years. He won bronze at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics.
Read: Paralympics 2021: Yogesh Kathuniya's story of grit and determination
Discus throw F-52 - Vinod Kumar
Vinod Kumar was recently reclassified into the F-52 category from F-56 which has raised hopes of more medals from India's track and field contingent at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Shot put F-35 - Arvind
A fifth-place finish in F-35 shot put at the 2018 Asian Para Games remains his best achievement.
Javelin F-55 - Tek Chand
Javelin thrower Tek Chand was recently reclassified in the F55 category from his earlier F54 category. He aspires to win the gold at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Ranjeet Bhati is also part of the Indian contingent in the Javelin F-57 category.
Women
Club throw F-51 - Ekta Bhyan and Kashish Lakra
ESPN's Para Athlete of the Year in 2018, Ekta Bhyan has been India's most prominent female para track and field athlete over the last few years. The 36-year-old Haryana athlete has stamped her authority in club throw and discus throw, with a gold medal at the 2018 Para Asian Games being her biggest accomplishment.
She also has a host of medals from multiple IPC Grand Prix events and National Para Athletics Championships.
18-year-old Kashish Lakra, meanwhile, is India's youngest athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics. A former junior world champion, the Delhi girl might not have experience on her side but her determination and willpower are exemplary.
Shot put F-34 - Bhagyashri Jadhav
Bhagyashri Mahavir Jadhav won bronze in women’s javelin F34 at the 12th Fazza International World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai earlier this year.
100m T-13 - Simran
Simran began the year well with a gold medal in women's 100m T13 at the 12th Fazza International World Para Athletics Grand Prix, where she clocked 12.74 seconds. She aims to break the world record at the Tokyo Paralympics.
