‘Setting a world record & breaking it again, unbelievable’: Karthik, Raina, others laud Sumit Antil for winning gold

People from the cricket fraternity also came forward with heart-winnings messages to acknowledge Sumit’s historic podium finish.

Javelin thrower Sumit Antil set a World Record at Tokyo Paralympics with a throw of 68.55m to clinch a gold medal in the men's F64 event on Monday. He bettered the previous world record of 62.88m, also set by him, five times on the day. His series read 66.95, 68.08, 65.27, 66.71, 68.55, while his last throw was a foul.

Sumit Antil set a World Record at Tokyo Paralympics with a throw of 68.55m to clinch a gold medal(Twitter)

It was a historic moment for the Indians to watch another para-athlete clinching a gold medal on a same day. Sumit’s progress during the event set the social world ablaze. And once it was over and the 21-year-old bagged gold, best wishes started to pouring in on Twitter.

People from the cricket fraternity also came forward with heart-winnings messages to acknowledge Sumit’s historic podium finish. Here are some of the reactions:

While Sumit took away gold, Australian Michal Burian (66.29m) and Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku (65.61m) won the silver and bronze respectively.

Antil was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident which led to the amputation of his leg below the knee. A para-athlete in his village initiated him to the sport in 2018. He also competed against Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the able-bodied Indian Grand Prix series 3 on March 5 in Patiala.

He finished seventh with a best throw of 66.43m while Chopra shattered his own national record with a big effort of 88.07m. He won a silver in the F64 javelin throw at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai.