Devendra Jhajharia

Devendra Jhajharia

Personal information
Nationality	Indian
Born	(1981-06-10) 10 June 1981
Sport
Country	India
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	F46 Javelin
Coached by	R.D. Singh
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2004
Medal record Track and field (athletics) Representing  India Paralympic Games 2016 Rio Javelin - F46 2004 Athens Javelin - F44/46 IPC World Championships 2013 Lyon Javelin - F46 2015 Doha Javelin - F46 Asian Para Games 2014 Incheon Javelin - F46

Devendra Jhajharia (born 10 June 1981) is an Indian Paralympic javelin thrower competing in F46 events. The first Indian Paralympian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics, he won his first gold in the javelin throw at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, becoming only the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country.^[1] At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won a second gold medal in the same event, bettering his previous record.^[2] Devendra is currently being supported by the GoSports Foundation^[3] through the Para Champions Programme.

Early Life and Background

Devendra Jhajharia was born in 1980 in a Jat Family and hails from the Churu District in Rajasthan. At the age of eight,

climbing a tree he touched a live electric cable. He received medical attention but the doctors were forced to amputate his left hand.[4][5] In 1997 he was spotted by Dronacharya Awardee coach R.D. Singh while competing at a school sports day, and from that point was coached by Singh. He gave credit to his personal coach R.D. Singh for 2004 Paralympic Gold Medal, saying: "He gives me a lot of advice and helps me during training."[6][7]

Career

In 2002 Jhajharia won the gold medal in the 8th FESPIC Games in South Korea. In 2004 Jhajharia qualified for his first Summer Paralaympic Games representing India at Athens. At the games he set a new world record with a distance of 62.15m eclipsing the old one of 59.77m. The throw gave him the gold medal and he became only the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country (India's first gold medal came from Murlikant Petkar).^[8]

Further athletic success came in 2013 at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France when he took the gold medal in the F46 javelin throw. He followed this with a silver medal at the 2014 Asian Para Games at Incheon in South Korea. At the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, despite throwing 59.06, Jhajharia could only finish in second place, claiming silver behind China's Guo Chunliang, who threw a championship record distance.

In 2016, he won a gold medal at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championship in Dubai. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F46 event, bettering his own 2004 record with a world-record throw of 63.97 metres.^[2]

Personal life

A former Indian Railways employee, Jhajharia is currently employed with the Sports Authority of India. His wife, Manju, is a former nationally-ranked kabaddi player; the couple have a daughter, Jiya (aged six) and a son, Kavyan (aged two).^[9]

Awards and recognition

• FICCI Para-Sportsperson of the Year (2014)^[10]
• Padma Shri (2012; first Paralympian to be so honoured).^[11]
• Arjuna Award (2004)

Quotes

I have never compromised with my training: Devendra Jhajharia^[12]

The one tip that won Paralympic champion Devendra Jhajharia his second gold medal^[13]

References