Among other things, Yogesh Kathuniya’s Instagram profile says ‘proud Indian’. It could have read ‘pride of India’. A world record holder in discus throw category F56, he had won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. One of India’s top prospects in Paris this time, he will gun for gold.
Like most para-athletes, Kathuniya’s career started in relative oblivion. Not many paid attention to what he did and it was a battle against mounting odds. But this son of an army man found a guide while studying in college in Delhi. An official of the students’ union inspired him to take up para-athletics and soon, discus throw became his life.
The bachelor in commerce did not have to wait very long to taste success. After setting the world record by clearing a distance of 45.18m at an event in Berlin in 2018, he secured bronze at the para world championships in Dubai in 2019. Silver at the Paralympics in 2021 was followed by the Arjuna Award. He did not rest on his laurels and went on to clinch silver at the para world championships in 2023 and 2024. In 2022, he bettered the world record to 48.34m. This makes him one of prime contenders in his field.
“I am focussed on breaching the 50m mark. In 2022, I broke the world record by setting a new record of 48.34m,” Kathuniya was quoted as saying in an interview with Firstpost . “At that time, I was injury free. But, ever since, I have had two-three injury setbacks back-to-back. I completed rehabilitation only in March this year, and it was only after that I began my preparations for the Paris Paralympics. I am confident of breaking that world record.”
Aged 27 now, Kathuniya was growing up like every other child in Chandigarh, where his father was posted. But calamity struck when he was about nine years old. He was diagnosed with a rare disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome. It’s a muscle weakness which affects the nervous system. The symptoms include pain in the back along with muscle weakness, beginning in the feet and hands. The young kid was left wheelchair-bound.
This disease can be life-threatening and fortunately for Kathuniya, it didn’t turn worse. His mother learnt physiotherapy and under her care, the boy slowly started getting better. Eventually, he was back on his feet again. But the disability remained, which meant that sports for him could only be para-athletics. Not that it mattered a lot, considering that he soon became world-class.
As the Paris Paralympics comes closer, Kathuniya is a seasoned campaigner. Not only has he seen top-level competitions, but won medals in those. His confidence should be high and his understanding of his sport second to none. As he mentioned in the interview, fitness worries linger and if he can overcome that, anything is possible.