Want to build a house for my mother, says Gold winner Mariappan Thangavelu

After India failed to achieve more than two medals at the Rio Olympics last month, two disabled athletes showed their mettle at the ongoing Paralympics by winning individual Gold and Bronze in men’s high jump. They vaulted their way to the glory in the event, and It was the first instance that two Indians stood on the same Olympic podium.

After losing his one leg in an accident in his childhood, Thangavelu took the disability as a challenge and trained hard to be a successful sportsman. He gave credits to her mother, who is selling vegetables to earn a living. Thangavelu wants to make a house for them now.

Mariappan’s coach Satyanarayana said that he wasn’t surprised with the performance at all.

He said to The Hindu, “He was the top-ranked jumper in the world, so I was not surprised by his performance. But recording your best jump in a major competition is not easy. He beat the reigning World Champion (Sam Grewe).”

He also added, “He had trained both morning and evening for months together for this special day. He did not enjoy any great facilities as many athletes do but had the fire in his belly to make it big,”

Varun Singh Bhati, who missed out on a silver medal by a whisker, expressed his happiness over his own performance. The son of a Sarpanch in a Gram Panchayat, Bhati said, “I feel normal; I don’t feel so great. I wish the colour of the medal was different. I was happy with my performance, because I achieved a personal best, but not the result.”

The bronze medalist said, “They were so loud. They cheered us every step of the way. It made me very happy. I hope what Mariappan and I have done inspires other high-jumpers in India.”

While the country celebrated the medals of Sakshi Malik and PV Sindhu, these guys, who despite their physical disability made India proud, deserve more than a meagre mention.