Sachin Khilari won a silver medal in men’s shot put F46 final with a throw of 16.32m at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Wednesday.
He finished behind Canada’s Greg Stewart who registered a best throw of 16.38, his season’s best.
This takes India’s medal tally to 21, two better than its previous haul at the Tokyo Para Games. India currently occupies 19th place in the medal table with three gold, eight silver and 10 bronze medals.
There were two more Indians in action in the event - Mohd Yasser and Rohit Kumar. Yasser finished in eight place with a best throw 14.21m while Rohit finished ninth with a throw of 14.10m.
“I had wanted to win the gold medal, but it did not happen. It’s my best distance but I am not satisfied. I feel I could have done better. It was not my day,” Khilari said after winning the silver medal.
“It was a tough competition and Greg Stewart is a great player. I made small mistakes in my technique. I will work harder and I hope to beat him next time.”
A mechanical engineering degree holder, Khilari, who had also won a gold in last year’s Asian Para Games in China, has an impaired left hand.
Hailing from a farming family at Karagani village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, Khilari met with an accident during his school days. The injury resulted in gangrene of the skin on his elbow and muscle atrophy. Even after several surgeries, his arm never recovered.
He also lost his mother when he was young.
Despite all these setbacks, he took up javelin while he was studying to become an engineer. A shoulder injury during competition forced him to switch to shot put.
Khilari was introduced to para sports in 2015 and later met well-known coach Satayanarayana who supported him in improving his game.
He also worked as a visiting faculty member at various institutions, assisting students in their UPSC and Maharashtra Public Service examination preparations.
With inputs from PTI
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