From hardships to Paralympics gold, Mariyappan Thangavelu has been a true champion

Mariyappan Thangavelu, the 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medallist in high jump, defied all odds to become a household name after his heroics.

Thangavelu has not been physically impaired since birth. A truck pulverized his right leg at the age of five, leaving his right leg runtish. More than his disability, it was the financial crunch in the household that was more heart wrenching. To make ends meet, he started working as a newspaper seller to aid his mother's daily grind as a vegetable vendor.

All these struggles were prior to the commencement of his athletics journey. Little did he know that he would clinch a gold medal for India at the Paralympics.

In fact, Mariyappan was never interested in athletics. He liked basketball and used to play it during his initial days. But Mariyappan was asked to take up high jump by his coach, who gauged his athletic skills. And the rest is history.

Mariyappan Thangavelu's biggest achievements and honors

Gold medal - 2016 Rio Paralympics High Jump (T42)

Bronze medal - 2019 World Para Athletics Championships

Honors

Padma Shri (2017) - fourth highest Indian national honor

Arjuna Award (2017) - second highest Indian sporting honor

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2020) - highest sporting honor in India

Know Your Para AthleteMeet India's top high jumper and Flag bearer for Tokyo 2020 #Paralympics Mariyappan ThangaveluAfter meeting an accident at the age of 5, Mariyappan was left with stunted growth and permanent disability in his right.#Cheer4India #Praise4Para1/3 pic.twitter.com/mO7vjsv2b8

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 16, 2021

Mariyappan Thangavelu's Paralympics glory and how it helped him

A win and prize money will always fetch a lot of respect for an athlete. But will it pay the bills for the rest of his life?

The same has been the case with Mariyappan. After his 2016 Paralympic glory, Mariyappan breathed a sigh of relief. He used his prize money and bought his mother a paddy field in order to ensure his family a stable life.

However, the prize money with which Mariyappan Thangavelu was running his household was not going to last till the end. He was soon in desperate need of a steady job to support his family and requested his state government to help him in 2017.

The talented Mariyappan Thangavelu is an inspiration for budding athletes. Happy to have interacted with him earlier today. pic.twitter.com/kKsdIkSRlt

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 17, 2021

Later, he was the flag bearer for the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakarta and has also been chosen the flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the 2021 Paralympics Games. Mariyappan will look to repeat his Rio Paralympic saga and return to India with another medal.

Will he be able to retain his gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics? To witness that, India needs to cheer star high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu and Co. at the upcoming showpiece event from August 24 to September 5.