Yogesh Kathuniya keen to change colour of medal to gold

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New Delhi: Yogesh Kathuniya is going to the Paris Paralympics with a simple goal: to break the trend of silver medals in his career.

At the Tokyo Paralympics, discus thrower Kathuniya won silver in the men’s F56 discus throw event with a throw of 44.38m. Brazil’s Claudiney Batista took gold hurling the discus to 45.59m. Since then, Kathuniya has bagged silver medals at the world championships in Paris (2023) and Kobe this year. On both occasions, he was behind Batista on the podium.

Kathuniya is hoping to change the colour of his medal in this Paralympics.

“I have to break this trend and change the silver medal into gold medal. At the para Asian Games last year, I again won a silver. I have four silver medals now from major competitions. I am not satisfied,” said Kathuniya.

“Everytime I come back with a silver medal, it leaves me a bit disappointed but when I return home and see the happiness in the faces of fans, my family, I feel happy,” added the 27-year-old who trains here at the Nehru Stadium.

Kathuniya knows that to win gold, he will have to beat the best -- Brazil’s Batista. The Brazilian won the gold medal at the 2023 Worlds with a throw of 46.07m; Kathuniya was second achieving a distance of 43.17m. This year in Kobe Worlds Batista recorded a 45.14m throw for the gold and Kathuniya, who was coming back from an injury, did well to take the silver with a throw of 41.80m. Batista’s personal best is 47.37m.

Kathuniya has recorded some big throws at domestic meets at home. At the 2022 Indian Open National Para Athletics meet he had two massive throws of 48m, eventually winning gold with 48.34m which remains his personal best though it seems to have. In 2023, he threw 46.79m in Open Para Athletics Championship in Bangalore and qualified for the World Championships in Paris. But those marks have come at home and the challenge for Kathuniya will be to replicate that performance in Paris.

“It is going to be a neck-and-neck fight for the gold medal and it will come around 47m-48m. In 2022, everything was going well for me when I had a 48.34m throw. After that I had an injury and that pegged me back.”

He was diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy, also known as a ‘pinched nerve’ -- a condition that occurs when a nerve in the neck is compressed as it leaves the spinal cord.

“I had issues with my C4, C5 and C6. There were a lot of difficulties during training. I went through proper rehab and have come back well. I have worked hard in my training and I am confident that I will be able to give my best in Paris. I have focused on nutrition and physiotherapy during training. It has given me positive results with respect to my throws.”

“This year, I have only played in one competition. I was mentally preparing and training towards getting my peak for Paris Olympics. Though I have not competed much, It will not have a big impact. I have been competing for eight years and I can handle the pressure of big competitions.”

As a nine-year-old, Kathunia had developed a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome which caused muscle weakness in his limbs and he was bound to a wheelchair. Life changed thereafter for the entire family, but his mother was a strong support. She studied physiotherapy and helped her son to recover.

“It has been a long journey. I feel mentally relaxed when I train at home with my family around. That’s why I don’t go abroad for training. I prefer to stay at home and train. It is giving me results as well.”