The T42 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs. Raised by a single mother after his father abandoned the family, Mariyappan battled abject poverty growing up as his mother worked as a labourer before becoming a vegetable seller.
He was on his way to school when a drunk driver at the wheel of a bus ran over his right leg, crushing his knee and leaving him with a permanent disability. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Mariyappan had suffered permanent disability when he was five years old. With his silver medal in Tokyo, Mariyappan became the third Indian after Joginder Singh Bedi and Devendra Jhajharia to win multiple medals at the Paralympics. The 26-year-old Mariyappan had won a gold in the Rio Games five years ago. Yogesh Kathuniya (Discus Throw) - Silverĭefending champion Mariyappan Thangavelu cleared 1.86m to win a silver in the men's high jump T42 event on August 31. Some athletes compete in a seated position, while others compete in a standing position.
The athletes have an impairment in their legs, for example amputations or paraplegia. In the SH1 Rifle category, shooters are able to hold a gun with arms. 19-year-old Avani, who hails from Jaipur, had sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012. Avani also became only the fourth Indian athlete to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (20) and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu (2016). Avani finished with a world record equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record. Avani fired her way to the top of the podium in the R-2 women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, edging out 2016 Rio Games gold-medallist Cuiping Zhangh of China who clinched the silver medal. Avani Lekhara made history on August 30 when she became the first Indian woman ever to win a gold medal at the Paralympics.