Amit Saroha, one of India’s decorated para athletes, received the best Teacher’s Day gift when his prodigy Dharambir shattered the Asian record with an effort of 34.59m to win a gold medal in the men’s club throw F51 event of the Paris 2024 Paralympics. With that Dharambir also became the first-ever Indian para-athlete to win a gold in the event at the showpiece tournament.

It turned out an Indian one-two in men’s club throw F51 event at the Paris Games as Dharambir and Pranav Soorma won gold and silver, respectively. While Dharambir came up with his best throw of 34.92m in his fifth attempt, Soorma produced a throw of 34.59m in his first attempt but couldn’t better it in later attempts. Serbia’s Filip Graovac, champion at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, bagged the bronze with a 34.18m throw in his second attempt.

2017 world championship silver medallist Saroha, who was the third Indian in the competition, failed to bag a medal after finishing at the bottom with the best attempt of 23.96 in his fourth attempt at Paralympics. More than the individual disappointment, the 39-year-old Saroha is proud of his student — Dharambir’s gold medal.

“This is a proud moment for me personally, Dharambir has fulfilled a dream today. This is the best Gurudakdakshina (a gift to a teacher). I have received. Ever since I started my career, it was my dream to win a medal in Paralympic Games and this is my fourth appearance, and Dharambir has fulfilled that dream today,” Saroha told The Statesman.

“We are going back with a gold medal, that’s the most important thing. Here we were competitors but the relation between him and me remains the same. I’m equally happy for Pranav Soorma for winning the silver. When I started the sport there was no one, now we have two more who can carry the legacy forward,” he added.

Dedicating his gold medal to his coach Saroha, the 35-year-old Dharambir admitted that he had butterflies in the stomach as he managed four fouls before his winning effort.

“I don’t have words to explain the joy and emotions that are going through me right now,” said Dharambir, who had earlier won silver at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in early 2022.

Club throw is a Paralympic event similar to the hammer throw at the Olympics. Club throw, however, is not part of the Olympic programme. Dharambir, who finished eighth at Tokyo 2020, explained the difficulties he had to overcome during his effort.

“As quadriplegic athletes we are not even able to hold the club, so we use a sticky gum in our fingers. Sometimes it is not in our control how it will release from the hand. For the first four throws, I was not able to get it right. This happens a lot with me. But I was confident that one straight throw would bring rewards, and it did,” he explained.

“After my fifth throw, I knew I would win a medal but wasn’t sure which colour. In the end it was my day. It was my throw that stood up, and I got gold,” said Dharambir, who had won bronze at the world championships this year in Kobe Japan.

Athletes in the F51 sports class have impaired muscle power or impaired range of movement: All athletes compete in a seated position.

Dharambir, who hails from Haryana, suffered a life-threatening accident while diving into a canal in his village. Misjudging the water’s depth, he struck the rocks below, leading to paralysis from the waist down.

Meanwhile, Pranav Soorma was 16 when when a cement sheet fell on his head, causing a severe spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. He spent six months in the hospital, with doctors telling him he would never walk again. He was introduced to para sports by his friends while in hospital. Pranav also excelled academically, scoring 91.2 percent in his 12th board exams and pursued a postgraduate degree in commerce from the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He is an Assistant Manager at the Bank of Baroda.