Who is Sumit Antil, the para-athlete? What are his thoughts on being compared to javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra?

Sumit Antil was a top contender for medals at the Paris Olympics. The para-javelin star had already won gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago and had been dominating competitions worldwide ever since.

Antil not only won gold at the World Championships in Paris last year and in Kobe this year, but he also set a world record in the F64 category while winning gold at the Asian Para-Games in Hangzhou last year.

At just 26 years old, with numerous gold medals from the Paralympics and World Championships, Antil has solidified his place as one of India's greatest Paralympians ever, if not the greatest.

Who is Sumit Antil?

Sumit Antil, a native of Sonipat in Haryana, a state renowned for producing top-tier athletes in wrestling, athletics, and various other sports disciplines, was born into a middle-class family. His father served as a Junior Warrant Officer in the Indian Air Force.

From a young age, Antil harbored a deep passion for sports, with wrestling capturing his interest early on, rather than javelin throw or athletics. He looked up to Yogeshwar Dutt, the bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, aspiring to emulate his success in the wrestling arena.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck on January 5, 2015, when Antil was involved in an accident on his way home from a tutoring session. Rushed to the Air Force Hospital, doctors were forced to amputate his left leg below the knee.

Following this life-altering event that dashed his wrestling dreams, Antil began using a prosthetic leg on his left lower limb.

Struggling initially to adapt to his new reality, Antil found renewed purpose after encountering Rajkumar, a para-athlete from his village, who introduced him to the world of Para Games. Despite facing excruciating pain and numerous challenges, Antil persevered, buoyed by the unwavering support of his family and friends, dedicating himself to daily self-improvement.

Antil's unwavering resilience and commitment propelled him to shatter his own world records on four occasions, culminating in a groundbreaking throw of 73.29m at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

On comparison with Neeraj Chopra

Sumit's remarkable achievements in record-collecting and medal-winning have naturally led to comparisons with Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and Paris Olympics silver medalist Neeraj Chopra.

As Sumit strives for an 80m throw and Neeraj aims for 90m in their respective fields, the two javelin throwers are often compared. However, Sumit, at 26 years old, finds these comparisons flattering yet somewhat trivial.

In an interview with The Times of India, Sumit emphasized the importance of seeking advice from Neeraj Chopra. He expressed that comparing the two of them seems somewhat futile, as throwing with one leg versus two legs is vastly different.

"I think every situation has two sides. For sure, comparing Neeraj and me seems a bit silly because throwing with one leg and throwing with both legs makes a huge difference. But we take it in a healthy way, considering there was a time when people didn’t understand para-athletes at all. Nowadays, if they are comparing me directly with Neeraj, we’ve made considerable progress. When we started, the world record was 59 meters; now it’s 73 meters," he said.

"So, I feel that the progress has been quite good. The way para-athletes are performing—like one has gone up to 67 meters for silver, and another has gone up to 66 meters for bronze—the entire para-athlete community is working hard to push their own limits. I think the results have been positive in my opinion because Neeraj Bhai definitely plays an inspirational role. Whenever we are compared to him, somewhere it stays in our mind that people think we are capable, which motivates us a lot," he added.

Also read| Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj takes charge as Telangana DSP