Devendra Jhajharia: All you need to know about the two-time Paralympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower

Devendra Jhajharia is India's only Paralympian to win two gold medals - in 2004 and 2016. He is once again set to represent his country in the men's javelin throw F46 event. Ahead of his third Paralympic campaign, here are a few things you need to know about him.

#Paralympics #Tokyo2020 @ParalympicIndia pic.twitter.com/r1DFqzOmc3

— Devendra Jhajharia (@DevJhajharia) August 10, 2021

Devendra Jhajharia and his childhood

Devendra Jhajharia grew up in Rajasthan's Churu district. At the age of eight, while climbing a tree, he touched a live electric wire and fell to the ground. The doctors attended to him quickly and saved his life but they had to amputate his left hand.

Despite the traumatic experience, however, Devendra was destined for greatness. He was spotted by Coach RD Singh at a school sports event. From there on, the Dronacharya awardee took him under his wing and helped him win two gold medals.

Devendra Jharjharia's sensational performance at the Paralympics

A gold moment for India🇮🇳🥇 #Paralympics World Record,Another History Created by @DevJhajharia 👏#DevendraJhaJharia @GautamGambhir @ImRaina @amritabhinder @arunbothra @AnupamPKher @sachin_rt @virendersehwag @DrKumarVishwas pic.twitter.com/WMI4mqIuxM

— Anita Chauhan (@anita_chauhan80) August 9, 2021

Devendra Jharjharia became only the second Paralympic gold medal winner for India since Murlikant Petkar first did it at the 1972 edition in Germany. When Devendra won the gold medal in 2004, he broke the world record with a stunning 62.15m throw.

At the 2016 Paralympics, he bettered that record, throwing his javelin at a distance of 63.97m to win a historic second gold medal.

How many medals has Devendra Jhajharia won in his career?

Devendra Jhajharia is one of the most decorated para-athletes in India. In addition to his two Olympic medals, he also won a silver medal at the 2014 Asian Para Games. His first competitive medal came at the FESPIC games in South Korea, where the Indian bagged gold in 2002. Devendra also won gold and silver medals at the IPC Athletics World Championships in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

Awards and Recognitions conferred upon Devendra Jhajharia

Devendra Jhajharia was given the Arjuna award for his gold medal-winning performance at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

In 2012, he became the first Paralympian to be awarded the Padma Shr - India's fourth-highest civilian honor.

He was FICCI Para-Sportsperson of the Year in 2014.

His success at the Rio Olympics helped him receive the Khel Ratna Award in 2017.

You might also like: WATCH: Para-athlete Devendra Jhajharia's emotional embrace with Deepa Malik after world record throw