Paris Paralympics: Sachin Khilari wins silver in men's shot put F46 event

Sachin Sarjerao Khilari won the silver medal in the men's shot put - F46 event with an Asian record of 16.32m, here at the State de France on Wednesday.

Khilari finished behind Canada's Greg Stewart, who registered a best throw of 16.38, his season's best.

Another Indian, Mohammad Yasser (14.21m) and Rohit Kumar (14.10m) finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

Sachin, who is a reigning world champion, earlier set an Asian record during the World World Para-Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan in May with a throw of 16.30m.

Born into a farming family, Khilari was raised in Karagani village in Maharashtra's Sangli district. He suffered a devastating injury to his left hand at school that left him disabled.

After learning about para sports in 2015, Sachin competed in the national games in Jaipur in 2017 and took home the gold medal. Later, he met coach Satayanarayana, who helped him develop his skills and become a full-time athlete by 2019.

Excelling in both sports and academics, Sachin has achieved notable success as a mechanical engineer too. He also works as a visiting faculty member at various institutions, assisting students in their MPSC and UPSC exam preparations.

Khilari past achievements include Asian Para Games (2022) – Gold Medal, World Para Athletics Championship (2024)– gold medal, World Para Athletics Championship (2023)– gold medal with Asia record, 5 times gold medalist in the National Para Athletics Championship.

India now has 21 medals overall, two more than it did at the Tokyo Para Games. India presently has three gold, eight silver, and ten bronze medals, placing it in 19th place in the medal standings.

(With inputs from IANS)