Indian discus thrower Vinod Kumar, who was left bed-ridden for close to 10 years after falling off a cliff, scripted an astonishing tale of resilience at his maiden Paralympics in Tokyo, as he won a bronze medal in the men's F52 event. However, a protest over his categorisation for the event has put the celebrations on hold. The 41-year-old member of the Border Security Force (BSF) produced the best throw of 19.91 metres on Sunday, August 29, finishing third behind Piotr Kosewicz (20.02m) of Poland and Velimir Sandor (19.98m) of Croatia.
However, the result has been challenged by some other competitors, who have objected to his classification in the F52 category. The grounds of the protest are not clear as the process was completed on August 22. Para-athletes are classified depending on the type and extent of their disability. The classification system allows athletes to compete with those who have a similar level of ability. F52 is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, with athletes competing in a seated position with cervical cord injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and functional disorder.
"Results of this event are currently under review due to classification observation in competition. The Victory Ceremony has been postponed to the evening session of 30th August," read a statement from the Games organisers. The Haryana-athlete's performance was an Asian record and gave India its third medal of the ongoing edition, which happens to be his debut.
Vinod injured his legs while training after joining the BSF, falling off a cliff in Leh that left him bed-ridden for close to a decade during which he lost both his parents. His condition improved around 2012 and his tryst with para-sports began after the 2016 Rio Games.
He began training at the Rohtak's Sports Authority of India centre and picked up a couple of national bronze medals, justifying the old adage that where there is a will, a way is not too far.
His first international was in 2019 when he participated in the Paris Grand Prix before finishing fourth in the world championships the same year.
Bhavinaben Patel and Nishad Kumar had earlier won a silver each in women's singles table tennis class 4 and men's T47 high jump events respectively on Sunday.