Paralympics: Devendra Jhajharia rewrites world record for Tokyo berth

The Tokyo Paralympics slated to begin on August 24, will be Devendra Jhajharia’s third Paralympics. He had won a gold at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, setting a new world record of 62.15 metres.

India’s top Paralympian and javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia rewrote his own world record once again as he punched his ticket for the Tokyo Paralympics during a national selection trial in New Delhi. The 40-year-old, who has won two gold medals in the men's F-46 category at the Paralympics, sent the spear to a distance of 65.71m during the trial here on Wednesday. With that effort, he not only sealed a spot for the Tokyo Paralympics but also bettered his own world record of 63.97m, set at the Rio Games in 2016. “Today at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, I qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics by setting a new world record of 65.71, breaking my older record of 63.97 in a qualifying event. “This was possible because of my family's support, and the efforts of my coach Sunil Tanwar and fitness trainer Lakshya Batra,” Jhajharia tweeted in hindi.