Mariyappan Thangavelu wins silver in High Jump, Sharad Kumar bronze to take India’s tally to 10

Mangalore Today News Network

Tokyo, Aug 31, 2021: Mariyappan Thangavelu was denied a second successive gold medal at the Paralympics as he won a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in the Men’s High Jump T63 event on Tuesday. USA’s world record holder Sam Grewe won the gold medal with a best jump of 1.88m while India’ Sharad Kumar took the bronze in the event.

 

With Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar winning silver and bronze, India took its medal tally to 10 at the Tokyo Paralympics, 6 more than their best-ever medal haul in the history of Paralympic Games. India’s Varun Bhati, the bronze medal winner from Rio Paralympics finished 7th in the final.

Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sam Grewe were involved in an intense battle for gold medal after clearing the mark of 1.86m even as rain affected the conditions at the Olympic Stadium.

 

Just as at Rio 2016, #IND have 2️⃣ athletes in the podium places in Men’s High Jump T63 Final! 🔥🔥

Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar have won #silver and #bronze medals respectively, taking 🇮🇳’s medal tally into double figures! 😍#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics #ParaAthletics pic.twitter.com/HSadcK8Nnt

— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 31, 2021

 

Notably, Sam Grewe had finished with a silver when Mariyappan won the gold in Rio.

While Mariyappan failed to clear the mark of 1.88m in three attempts, Grewe cleared the mark in his final attempt. Notably, Mariyappan had won the Rio Paralympics gold with a best jump of 1.89m.

 

#Athletics: Mariyappan Thangavelu clears 1.86m mark in the Men’s High Jump T63 Final event.#Tokyo2020 | #Paralympics | #Praise4Para pic.twitter.com/a93V2AU8Eq

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) August 31, 2021

Grewe went to better his own world record of 1.90m by attempting 1.91m. Before he began his third attempt, the athletes and officials at the Olympic Stadium, including the Indian contingent, cheered for the American para-athlete, showcasing a heartwarming sporting spirit.

Sharad Kumar was comfortably clearing heights before he stumbled at the 1.86m-mark. The Asian Games gold medalist finished with a best jump of 1.83m, which was not his personal best which is at 1.89m.

Courtesy:India Today