24 year old Paralympian Sumit Antil who is looking forward to receiving the Padma Shri award at the ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually in March – April every year, credits this honour to his mother. “My mother has a big role to play in all of my achievements as she has supported me thoroughly since my accident. It is because of her mental and financial support that I was able to make a career in sports and win laurels for the country. She believed in me, even on days when I couldn’t believe in myself,” says Antil.
Stoked about the honour of being conferred the Padma Shri award, Antil says, “I am very happy to be awarded with the Padma Shri. The journey up till this award has been rampant with struggles, but those struggles have paid off. I always wanted to get a Padma Shri but I had never imagined I would get one so early on in my sports career.”
In 2015, Antil had met with an accident that had resulted in an amputated leg. As a result of this he had to abandon his dream of becoming a wrestler. However Antil never gave up sports, and went on to pursuit javelin throw, while studying in Ramjas. “If you really like sports, nothing can stop you. Mere pehle Paralympics mein, maine apne record tode with every subsequent throw, and I also made a new world record. All this happened only because even at the darkest hour of my life, I didn’t give up. Whatever struggles I faced, I kept going on. If today I’m being conferred with the highest civilian award for an Indian, it’s because of the attitude of never giving up. I advise everyone that no matter which field you choose, work hard and never give up. Success will definitely be yours,” says Antil.
Author tweets @FizzyBuddha
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