India's Devendra Jhajharia, the second gold medallist from the country in the Paralympics, will ply his trade in the Paralympics 2016 men's javelin throw F46 final on Tuesday at the Olympic Stadium (Engenhao) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Devendra will be competing in the event alongside fellow Indians Rinku and Sundar Singh Gurjar.
Devendra, 36, won a gold in the javelin throw event at the Paralympics 2004 in Athens and is one of the key figures among the Indian paralympic contingent who can bring home yet another medal for the nation. India already have three medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) from the Rio Paralympics.
An unfortunate incident affected Devendra at the age of 8. He touched a live electric cable while climbing a tree and he was so badly electrocuted that the doctors had no option but to ampute his left hand. Impaired or not, Devendra's indomitable spirit has made him reach the position he is at the moment now.
The 36-year-old gifted athlete, who won a gold medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon in 2013, had last participated in the Paralympics 12 years back. The F46 event did not feature in the 2008 and the 2012 editions.
"It's been a long wait," Devendra was quoted as saying by ESPN India. "I've been training and keeping myself motivated all this while knowing this will be my last appearance at the Paralympics," the Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee added.
Devendra's throw of 62.15m in the Paralympics still stands as the world record. "Though I lost an arm, I gained a life in sport. Success can be a great leveller," Devendra added.
Schedule for day 6
Where to watch live
India: TV: Sony Six (Highlights daily at 9 am and 5 pm), Sony ESPN (Highlights daily at 10.30 am and 6 pm). Live streaming: Paralympic.org, Olympic channel.
Brazil: TV: Globo Sport. Live streaming: Rede Globo.
China: TV: CCTV. Live streaming: cctv.com.
USA: TV: NBC. Live streaming: Team USA.
UK: TV: Channel 4. Live streaming: Paralympics Channel 4.
