It was heartening to see Mariyappan Thangavelu win a hat-trick of medals in three different editions of the Paralympics. It showed his stomach for a fight in a highly competitive field, the T43 category of men’s high jump, at the Paris Paralympics. He smiled after the medal-winning effort, not something he does often.
Celebrations in Periavadagampatti, his village in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, late on Tuesday night were loud. Firecrackers were burst to hail his ‘three-peat’ effort, where Mariyappan was involved in a great contest with Ezra Frech and Sharad Kumar, also from India. At one stage, Mariyappan was in the lead, before Sharad and Ezra started pushing harder. Mariyappan had a best of 1.85 metres, and his attempts at scaling greater heights did not fructify.
After winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, silver in Tokyo three years ago and bronze in Paris, Mariyappan is not satisfied. Even as his village was in a celebratory mode and his mother was beaming in front of the TV cameras, Mariyappan has set his sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. The reaction from his mother, Saroja, was one of joy as she spoke emotionally.
“My son has done Tamil Nadu and the nation proud,” she said. “I am sure he will continue to win more laurels.” Having raised six children, Mariyappan was always special. When he was just five, a vehicle ran over his right leg, below the knee. How he fought back and the school PT master motivated him to compete in the jump events in school is inspiring stuff. It is a reminder, on Teacher’s Day, the birth date of S Radhakrishnan, former President of India, how important it is to have mentors from a young age.
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Today, Sathyanarayana, the Para athletics coach, continues to guide Mariyappan at home. At an interaction in Tamil on Wednesday from Paris, Mairyappan was shy as usual. He is not very comfortable speaking in English. Yet, when asked what this bronze medal meant to him, he replied immediately that he would go for gold at LA 2028. “Before I left India, I had spoken to honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and promised a gold medal,” said Mariyappan, almost apologetic. He was a bit nervous as he again got to speak to the PM on Wednesday. But the goal is clear, and India’s first Para athlete to win three medals in three Paralympic campaigns is not going to ease off.
He has been backed by his state Tamil Nadu, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), as well as the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ). “I will train in the US in the future and I wish to thank all those who have supported me in this journey,” said Mariyappan. Coach Sathyaranyana is, in fact, goading his ward to prepare harder so that he can defeat Frech, the American who spoilt his golden dream. For all those who have watched Mariyappan compete in three Paralympics, he has perfected his own style and executes the Fosbury flop well.
He takes measured steps with just his left foot, on which he wears a sports shoe. His right foot is minus any footwear. The way he accelerates, takes off and clears the bar is worth watching again and again. He has rehearsed this thousands of times and that’s how he is able to pull it off with such confidence.