Sundar Singh Gurjar Height, Age, Family, Biography & More 2024

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Profession: Indian Paralympian

Hometown: District Karauli, Rajasthan

Age: 25 Years

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sundar Singh Gurjar

Sundar Singh Gurjar is an Indian Paralympic athlete in Javelin Throw, Shot Put, and Discus Throw class. He competes within the F46 occasions. F46 occasions encompass disabled athletes having a single under or above the arm deficiency, impaired muscle energy or passive motion of arms.

He is broadly often called the world report holder of 68.42m scores on the sixteenth Paralympic National Championship held at Tau Devi Lal stadium in Panchkula (Haryana) on 26 March 2016. Unfortunately, that report throw was not ratified because the occasion was not recognised by the World physique. His main achievement was the Bronze medal on the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

He began enjoying Javelin Throw in 2012, earlier than his accident which occurred three years later. He wasn’t a lot into research and was usually seen bunking his courses. He even urged his PT sir that he needs to affix sports activities. The PT sir then suggested him to offer the sports activities trial. After getting chosen within the trials, he went to Jaipur and began residing in a sports activities hostel.

But as his father and elder brother have been into the wrestling, so he adopted their footsteps. One day, he was noticed in a wrestling competitors by his coach who inspired him to take up athletics. From there on, he began enjoying on the junior stage.

Sundar Singh along with his coach

In 2015, he went via an accident when a heavy steel sheet fell on him at his good friend’s home whereas he was engaged on it, which resulted in everlasting lack of his left hand. But as there’s a saying that

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

Sundar Singh competing along with his impaired left hand

Sundar Singh Gurjar is one in every of them. He went to a coaching centre in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan following his restoration from the accident, the place he was launched to Mr RD Singh, the director of that institute. And quickly he began practising Para Sports. He then competed in lots of Junior nationwide occasions and have become profitable.

In March 2016, he competed within the eighth Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix held in Dubai the place he recorded 59.36m scores alongside along with his teammate Rishi Kant Sharma (F12) within the javelin throw competitors. There have been a complete of 24 Indian contingents whose entry was refused by the IPC Para Athletics officers because the Sports Authority of India (SAI) did not ahead their entries on time. Only 11 contingents might compete and the remainder have been returned residence regardless of spending 80000 INR (1100 {dollars}) from their very own pocket.

Sundar Singh Gurjar after successful the medal on the Dubai Grand Prix 2016

Sundar Singh made an ‘A’ grade qualification mark for the 2016 Rio Paralympics together with Virendra Singh (discus and shot put). The rule for direct entry into the 2016 Rio Paralympics was that the Paralympian ought to stay within the top-5 rank till 30 April 2016. While the remaining entry can be selected the premise of Athletics who’ve earned ‘A’ and ‘B’ qualification marks. Dronacharya Awardee RD Singh who ran the paralympic coaching centre in Rajasthan praised Sundar Singh by saying that

“If all goes well, you will see Sunder winning an Olympic medal. His throw was excellent and he can easily add a couple of metres by the time of Rio. Till November last, Sunder was competing in the general category and won a junior national gold. But he lost his left hand in an accident.”
But 2016 noticed a devastating time in his life when regardless of turning into one of many contenders to win the medal on the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil within the F46 javelin throw class, he missed the registration course of by narrowly 52 seconds when his identify was known as on the registration desk. He later clarified that he couldn’t in a position to hear his identify. But it was fairly late and he was later disqualified from the occasion. He additional added that

“A little miscommunication resulted in something so life-changing. I was never told about a fixed time, and I couldn’t understand when my name was announced. The world knows that I was the best javelin thrower and had been the best in my category for the last few months. I don’t understand English nor can I read or speak the language. That disqualification broke me mentally. A long period of depression followed, I did nothing for a good six months. I didn’t want to touch javelin again. But my coach Mahabir Prasad Saini took me for counselling and arranged sessions with motivational speakers. The rest is history.”
In the latter season of Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix, he was as soon as once more spectacular with a rating of 60.33m within the Javelin throw F46 class in 2017. He additionally threw 44.56m within the discus throw F46 occasion and was excellent within the shot put occasion. It was a profitable season for him with three gold medals in all these above classes.

In July 2017, in the course of the eighth version of the World Para Athletics Championships, Sundar Singh received the gold medal for the nation along with his private finest rating of 60.36m till then within the Javelin throw occasion. With that, he additionally turned the second Indian after Devendra Jhajharia to win the gold within the World Para-athletics Championships. This occasion was held on the iconic London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the identical venue the place the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics video games came about.

In October 2018, on the third version of the Para Asian Games in Jakarta (Indonesia), he received the silver medal with a rating of 61.33m greater than his counterpart bronze medalist Rinku Hooda who obtained a 60.92m rating within the Javelin throw. Sundar Singh additionally received a bronze medal within the discus throw class with a rating of 47.10m. A complete of 302 members from India took half on this occasion. Rio Paralympic gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu was the flag-bearer from the Indian facet.

Sundar Singh Gurjar on the ceremony for the Asian Games 2018

Sundar Singh then suffered from a shoulder harm throughout coaching which pressured him to remain within the backseat for fairly just a few months. But that didn’t impression his momentum when in 2019, he defended his World Para Athletics Championships title within the males’s F46 javelin throw occasion. He got here up with the season’s finest rating of 61.22m to carry residence the Gold medal for the nation surpassing Sri Lanka’s Dinesh P Herath Mudiyanselage. He additionally secured a berth within the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games quota alongside along with his teammate the bronze medalist Ajeet Singh and Rinku Hooda. In an interview with PCI, he advised that,

“I am very happy. It was a relief. I came into this Championships with no training for the last one month. I got the injury in my training and so had to tap my shoulder today. When I was training, I felt the pain. But I was lucky at the finals, I didn’t feel it. I felt my body was well-rested. It was a blessing in disguise. In my last attempt, I knew that I got it there. But never realized that it will be my season-best. It was a good leap. This will motivate me to go for a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.”

With that, he additionally turned the second Indian after Devendra Jhajharia to win two World Championships medals within the Para-sport class. Devendra Jhajharia earlier than received gold and silver medals within the 2013 Lyon and 2015 Doha Championship occasions.
But because the COVID-19 pandemic hit your entire nation, he was pressured to avoid sports activities for nearly two to a few months. Then sooner or later he approaches Ashok Chandna, the sports activities minister of Rajasthan for assist and urged him to open the Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur) for him to follow for which the sports activities minister agreed. He was then common along with his coaching and by no means missed a single session.

Sundar Singh with Rajasthan’s Sports minister Ashok Chandna

Recalling that point, he advised that

“I didn’t want to sit at home and wait for things to happen. So, I requested our minister and he allowed me to use the hostel. It wasn’t easy because the entire country was in lockdown, but Mr Chandna went out of his way to help me out.”

He additionally spoke in an interview that how his coaching in the course of the lockdown has improved his sport and he’s now able to compete on the Tokyo Paralympics.

“I am now throwing beyond 68 metres. This is something that has boosted my confidence for the Tokyo Games, as 63.97 metres is a world record. But I’m not taking anything lightly. “This is the best thing that has happened before Tokyo.” He added.

Then lastly the day has come, when he can be competing with the opposite 53 athletes in 9 sporting occasions that embrace Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Shooting, Swimming, Para-Canoeing, Table Tennis, and Taekwondo from date 24 August 2021 to five September 2021. The official mascot was the “Someity”. It was the primary time that Badminton & Taekwondo was launched to the occasion.

Indian Squad earlier than leaving for Tokyo Paralympic 2020
As he was one of many hopes from the Indian facet. He didn’t disappoint and received the Bronze medal within the Javelin throw class. He began slowly however finally registered a throw of 64.01m in his fifth try and chipped in with but splendour for the nation. Devendra Jhajharia was the gold medallist in that class. With that, India completed with 19 medals in whole which is the best medal tally up to now when it comes to Paralympic historical past.

Sundar Singh Gurjar’s associates and family members celebrating his victory outdoors his residence