Devendra Jhajharia, the one-armed Javelin thrower from India, is an absolute genius when it comes to excelling at his sport. He shot into limelight after winning Gold in F46 Javelin at the 2004 Summer Paralympics held in Athens. Not only did he win a medal, Jhajharia also created a world record in that event with a throw of 62.15m. On Sept. 13, 2016, he broke that record with a throw of 63.97m to establish a new one while on his way to a second Paralympic gold medal. It was a historic moment for the country as Devendra became the first Indian to win two Gold medals at the Paralympics/Olympics
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A native of the Churu district in Rajasthan, Jhajharia has seen a great deal of adversities in his life and has been riddled with several problems, which he had to battle to reach so far. Unlike most other para-athletes, his disability is the direct result of a near fatal accident.
Here are a few things to know about India’s only double Gold-medallist in Paralympic/Olympic history
- When he was eight, Devendra had an accident while playing outdoors with his friends. He recalls as always having been an active kid with deep interest in sports. However, on that fateful day, during that session of games with friends, Devendra accidentally came in contact with an electric cable of 11,000 volts.
- This accident left a lot of severe burns on his body and it became doubtful as to whether he would even make it through the night or not. Later on in life, Jhajharia recalled the unwavering support his parents provided him and because of which he got back on his feet and put the accident behind him. In his words, they never made him feel like a burden and provided him with nothing but encouragement.
- He took up javelin when he was in Standard 10, after being sure of a complete recovery from his accident. With continuous practice, he became the district champion in the open category. He competed with able-bodied athletes for many years and won medals in inter-college, district and State events. He had no clue about para-sports until he began college.
- A former Indian Railways staffer who is now employed by the Sports Authority of India, Devendra has been coached by Dronacharya awardee RD Singh, the person who introduced him to the concept of para-sports in the country. Singh, since then, has been a constant source of inspiration for Devendra.
- Devendra Jhajharia created history in 2004 when he won the Gold medal in F46 Javelin at the Paralympics in Athens. He became India’s second Gold medallist at the Games (after Murlikant Petkar). He set the world record on that occasion with a throw of 62.15m. After a decade and two years, Jhajharia himself broke the record with a throw of 63.97m at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and in the process, also won his second gold medal.
- After breaking the world record in 2004, he created the new championship record when he won the gold medal at the IPC World Championships held in Lyon in 2013.
- He received zero to little financial support from most quarters even after his medal-winning performance at Athens. He competed at 2004 with very little formal training and almost no standard infrastructure. As his contribution to sports became more and more recognised, he was approched by both Government and private sponsors alike. He is currently supported by GoSports.
- He has also represented India in Club Throw for which he won a silver medal at the 2015 IPC World Championships at Doha.
- He is the first para-athlete to be conferred with the Padma Shri and received it in 2012. A couple of years later in 2014, he was honored with FICCI Para-Sportsperson of the year Award
- A two-time Gold medallist at the Paralympics, Devendra has over 14 years of experience in the world of Para-sports. His only dream is to coach and guide differently-abled youngsters from future generations and play a role in winning more accolades for the country.
