Sundar Singh Gurjar creates world record, wins Javelin gold in Asian Para Games 2023

India had a field day on Wednesday (October 25) at the Asian Para Games 2023 which is being held in Hangzhou, China. The javelin event seemed to be one that was contested most widely, with Sundar Singh Gurjar ending up with the gold medal with a final throw of 68.60m in the men's Javelin T46 event.

Gurjar has also created a new world record with his last throw. It is interesting to note that Rinku Hooda won the silver medal with a throw of 67.08m while Ajeet Singh Yadav won the bronze medal with a 63.52m throw.

Although their showing did not quite raise heartbeats, the latter two's performances were critical to India winning all the medals on the podium. It was one of those rare instances when India won all three medals at an event.

Gurjar's world record was the icing on the cake after he bagged the gold medal earlier. The previous record was held by Sri Lanka's Dinesh Priyantha with a throw of 67.79m.

Sundar Singh Gurjar is an Arjuna Awardee

Born in Karauli, Rajasthan, Gurjar competes in the javelin throw, shot put and discus throw disciplines in T46 events. He set a world record by holding three gold medals in as many events in the 16th Para Athletics National Championships held in Panchkula in 2016.

Gurjar has also been accorded the Arjuna Award, the second-highest award of excellence given to sportspersons in India. He is a highly decorated para-athlete, with four FAZAA IPC Athletics Grand Prix gold medals to his name.

The Indian athlete also won the prestigious gold medal at the IPC World Championships held in London in 2017. The 27-year-old, coached by Mahavir Prasad Sahni also bagged a silver and a bronze medal at the Para Asian Games held in Indonesia in 2018.