Sumit Antil then bettered it with the eventual winner of 70.59m in his second attempt, making it yet another record. His fifth attempt landed at 69.04m, again better than the Tokyo 2020 mark. Sumit also holds the world record of 73.29 in the F64 class.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Choudhary, categorized in F44, finished in fourth place for the third time in a row in as many Games with a best throw of 62.80m. Sandip Sanjay Sargar, also an F44 athlete, finished seventh with a throw of 58.03m.
Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku set a world record of 67.03m in F44 for second place while Australia’s Michal Burian (F44) came third with a throw of 64.89m
The javelin throw final had athletes from both the F44 and F64 categories. Both are part of sports classes designed for athletes with limb deficiencies, such as amputations or missing or shortened limbs from birth. All athletes in these classes compete in a standing position.
In classes 42-44, the legs are affected by the impairment while athletes with a leg deficiency who compete with a prosthesis take part in the F61-64 class.
Sumit Antil’s medal was India’s third gold medal at the ongoing Games. Badminton player Nitesh Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s SL3 class earlier in the day while Avani Lekhara defended her 10m air rifle shooting standing SH1 title on Friday.
