Dharambir and Pranav Soorma made history for India at the Paris 2024 Paralympics by securing gold and silver medals, respectively, in the men’s club throw F51 class. This marked India’s first-ever one-two finish in athletics at the Paralympic Games and contributed to the country’s best-ever performance, surpassing the 19 medals won at Tokyo 2020.
Dharambir, 35, clinched the gold with an Asian record throw of 34.92m on his fifth attempt, while Pranav Soorma secured silver with a throw of 34.59m. Their success brought India’s total medal count at Paris 2024 to 24, just one short of their goal of 25 medals.
Club throw, a Paralympic event similar to hammer throw, requires athletes to compete in a seated position. Dharambir, who finished eighth at Tokyo 2020, overcame a challenging start in Paris with four fouls before delivering his winning throw. He expressed immense pride in his achievement, stating, “One straight throw brought rewards, and I got gold.”
Pranav Soorma, who had previously defeated Dharambir at the Asian Para Games, delivered a strong performance to win silver. Serbia’s Zeljko Dimitrijevic, a three-time Paralympic champion, took bronze with a throw of 34.18m.
Both Dharambir and Pranav have inspiring stories of overcoming life-changing accidents that led to their disabilities, making their historic achievements at the Paralympics even more significant.
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