Paris 2024 Paralympics: Yogesh Kathuniya left wanting for more after winning silver medal in discus throw

India’s Yogesh Kathuniya won the silver medal in the men’s discus throw F56 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Monday.

The 27-year-old Indian para-athlete secured the medal with his season-best throw of 42.22m in the final.

Brazil’s Claudiney Batista took gold with a Paralympic record of 46.86m while Konstantinos Tzounis of Greece completed the podium with an effort of 41.32m.

“My first throw was my best, but I was just warming up, so I was relaxed,” Kathuniya reflected.

“On my next attempt I tried really hard and felt some pain in my shoulder, so I could not produce my best after that.

“It is disappointing, but it is not the end for me. I am still young and the future will be mine, I am sure.”

This was Yogesh Kathuniya’s second Paralympic medal. He won the silver medal at Tokyo 2020 with a best attempt of 44.38m. Batista won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020 as well with the then Paralympic record of 45.59m.

“I keep getting silver and I must work harder,” Kathuniya said. “I am not happy to have silver again.

“I know the Brazilian (Claudiney Batista) is beatable. I can throw 48m, I do it all the time. I was doing it in the warm-up, so to lose to him today is hard.”

Yogesh is also a three-time Para World Championships medallist and a silver medal winner at the Asian Para Games last year in the same F56 category.

The F56 is part of the sports classes where athletes compete in a wheelchair or throwing chair due to impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference.

Athletes in the F56 class can partially bend their hips and legs in addition to having trunk function.

This was India’s eighth medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and fourth in athletics. Preethi Pal won bronze medals in the 100m and 200m T35 class events before Nishad Kumar won the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 class.

The other four medals for India were won in para shooting. Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal won gold and bronze, respectively, in the 10m air rifle shooting standing in SH1 class. Manish Narwal (men's 10m air pistol SH1) and Rubina Francis (women's 10m air pistol SH1) won silver and bronze, respectively.