Mariyappan Thangavelu, the paraathlete who won India’s first gold medal in 12 years, on the second day of the 2016 Paralympic Games. He jumped 1.89m, won the men’s T42 high jump event and created history. With that win, Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first Indian high jumper to win a gold medal at the Paralympics.
The story of Mariyappan’s success and his journey is really inspiring. This is the story of his grit, determination and hard work. This 21-year-old para-athlete is from a small village named Periyavadgampatti, which is located about 50 km from Salem, Tamil Nadu.
Drunk bus driver crushed his knees
The accident that happened to Mariyappan at the young age of five changed his whole life. One day when he was on his way to school, a bus ran over his leg and badly crushed his right knee. Mariyappan’s life was saved in this accident, but the way of life changed forever.
He said in an interview, “I was told that the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Since that accident my right leg is still underdeveloped, it is still the leg of that five year old boy, it never grew.”
His father left the family in his childhood. Mother started doing brick work to run the house. But due to increasing chest pain, he had to leave the job.
After his father left, no one gave his family a house to live on rent. Mother started the business of selling vegetables by borrowing 500 rupees and started feeding the family. Taking a loan of 3 lakhs for Mariyappan’s treatment, she fought for the well being of her son. The loan taken for his treatment, his mother kept paying for years.
Encouraged to participate in sports from teacher
Mariyappan Thangavelu always loved to play. Right from her student life, she was very fond of volleyball and never let her disability get in the way of enjoying it.
At the age of 14, one of his teachers advised him to participate in a high jump competition at school. Mariyappan decided that he would definitely try. Despite the competition with capable athletes, Mariyappan finished second. This was the program where his classmates and friends fully supported him for the first time. Thereafter, these classmates and friends of Mariyappan used to participate in every competition held in the district to support him in every event.
Mariyappan got a chance to hone this skill further under the guidance of his coach Satyanarayana. He met coach Satyanarayana for the first time at the 2013 National Para-Athletics Championships. In 2015, Satyanarayana decided to train him and brought him to Bengaluru. After rigorous training, he managed to finish first in the world in 2015.
Disability is not weakness, it is strength
Gold medalist, Mariyappan Thangavelu believes that his deformed toe is his lucky charm. Mariyappan made headlines in March 2016 when he covered a distance of 1.78 meters in the men’s high jump event at the IPC Grand Prix of Tunisia. It was this jump that took him to Rio. Because, the qualifying standard to qualify is 1.60 meters.
The competition was so difficult that whoever was watching it at that time, had stopped breathing. Six of the twelve athletes scored 1.74 in the first eight attempts. But Mariyappan, with his scintillating jump, not only won the victory, but took the entire show to his name. There was only talk of him everywhere.
Mariyappan is the third Indian paraathlete, after Murlikant Petkar, who won the gold medal for swimming in 1972, and Devendra Jhajhadia, who won a medal in javelin throw in 2004, to win a gold in the Paralympics.
Original article: Gayatri Manu
Edit: Manbi Katoch
Also read: The story of the paraathlete who got 183 stitches when her husband was fighting the Kargil war
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