The story of Yogesh Kathuniya: From suffering a rare neurological disorder to bringing India a 2021 Paralympic silver medal

India's Yogesh Kathuniya clinched a silver medal after throwing a distance of 44.38m in the men's discus throw F56 classification at the 2021 Paralympics on Monday.

A journey of sheer grit and determination has earned Yogesh the biggest sporting honor of his life.

Yogesh Kathuniya with a throw of 44.38m has confirmed another medal for #IND at #Paralympics Watch LIVE here📲 https://t.co/lLCaIc0yI0 pic.twitter.com/8II9gzNRVa

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) August 30, 2021

Yogesh Kathuniya was like any other child of his age. He was studying at the Army Public School in Chandigarh since his father, Gyanchand Kathuniya, worked in the Army.

All was fine for Yogesh, until the age of 9 when he was afflicted with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. This causes quadriparesis and ultimately results in marred limb coordination.

While this devastating setback must have dissuaded most, it could not stop Yogesh from achieving his dreams.

Yogesh Kathuniya's mother was his physio

A mother can do anything, especially when it comes to her children. The same was the case with Yogesh's mother. After being affected by a rare neurological attack, Meena Devi came to his aid. She knew what she needed to do.

Meena Devi turned into a physiotherapist. She learned physiotherapy in view of helping Yogesh overcome the situation and stand on his own two feet. Yogesh's mother was successful. Yogesh started walking within three years.

Yogesh Kathuniya's introduction to sports:

Yogesh turned his attention to para sports in 2017. Hee was pusuing B.Com in Kirori Mal College, Delhi. That's when the college's general secretary, Sachin Yadav, spotted Yogesh and encouraged him to take up sports. Sachin used to show Yogesh para-athlete's videos.

A bright kid with a tenacity to grasp, Kathuniya developed an interest in the sport of javelin throw. Although it was initially difficult for Yogesh to overcome the attack that he suffered, it never bothered the young Delhi boy.

Kathuniya wanted to try his hands at different sports and started practicing discus throw as well. Within no time, Yogesh became equally engrossed in both sports.

He achieved success the very next year as he set a world record in the F36 category by hurling the discus to 45.18m at the Para Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin.

Yogesh registered his personal best of 45.58m during the trials held in Delhi a couple of months ago. Yogesh has consistently thrown between 45-46m, making him one of the top medal contenders at the Paralympics.

#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics #Athletics Wow! #YogeshKathuniya saving his best for last as his best throw of 44.38m sees him at the top of the leaderboard. Just short of his PB of 44.47m. Bear in mind that there are 5 athletes left. #Cheer4India #Praise4Para #AbJeetegaIndia

— Sports For All (@sfanow) August 30, 2021

Yogesh did not disappoint as won the silver medal for India in the discus throw event at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.