Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia gets hero’s welcome in Jaipur

With tales of using a bamboo javelin at his village and making the most of his training at Finland, paralympian encourages Nymph academy students

Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia, who broke his javelin throw record of 62.15 metres with an all-time high of 63.97 metres to bag gold at Rio 2016 Paralympics, was greeted by family and members of Nymph Academy at Jaipur International Airport on Saturday.

Rio Paralympics gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia with his daughter at Jaipur International Airport in Jaipur on Saturday. Jhajharia had promised his daughter that he would bag a gold if she tops her lower kindergarten exam. (Prabhakar Sharma/HT photo)

Jhajaria won gold on September 14 in the F-46 event (men’s javelin throw) at Rio Paralympics. Government officials were conspicuous by their absence at the airport.

A native of Churu district, Rajasthan, Jhajharia had lost his left arm when he was eight years old. “I felt I had lost everything. But my mother and father supported me at every stage,” said Jhajharia while addressing students at a programme in Nymph Academy School.

“Most parents want to see their children become doctors and engineers, but my mother wanted me to become a sportsperson. I picked up very gradually and it would not have been possible without her support.”

On his path to success, his wife Manju sacrificed her promising career in Kabaddi to allow Devendra freedom to pursue his ambition. The paralympian also benefitted immensely from his rare training stint at Kuortane, Finland.

“Nothing in the world is difficult if you make an effort. I used a bamboo javelin to practice when I was young. If a village boy like me who had little facilities to his avail could make a world record, what’s stopping you?” he told students.

The 35-year-old sportsperson thanked his family, coach Sunil Tanwar and well wishers for his success. “The greatest moment in my life was seeing the Indian flag going up when my name was announced after winning the gold,” said Jhajharia. He also paid tribute to the 17 army personnel martyred in the terror strike at the army base in Uri, Srinagar.