At eight, Devendra Jhajharia was involved in a horrific accident and lost one of his arms. From then, he overcame all obstacles to reach the pinnacle of the sport he now plays today.
Devendra won silver in the men’s javelin throw F46 final match at the Tokyo Paralympics. The final event took place on Monday, in which his best performance was 64.35, representing India.
He earned his first gold medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He replicated the feat 12 years later in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, claiming his second gold medal. Devendra Jhajharia was named India’s finest para-athlete as a result of this achievement. Jhajharia had risen to this position despite enduring severe physical and financial challenges.
Devendra had been preparing for his third triumph in the Tokyo 2021 games. He achieved a historic win by earning a silver medal making the country proud. The 40-year-old battle soared to dizzying new heights.
Born into a farming family in Rajasthan’s Churu area, Devendra’s life was turned upside down when he lost an arm when he was just eight years old. He unintentionally touched a live cable, allegedly an 11,000-volt, when climbing a tree in his hamlet. His left hand was amputated due to the severity of the incident. His entire family was in a state of shock and grief during this time.
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It was not easy growing up with a disability. Devendra was constantly mocked and chastised and received embarrassing sympathy from his friends and the villagers. Nonetheless, he was adamant that he would not be a victim of pity for the rest of his life.
So Devendra began standing in his school corridor for extended periods, watching the sport of Javelin Throw, which required just one arm to participate. His desire to participate in sports was harmed by the criticism his parents had to face. He was seen as physically weak by everyone in the village.
Sports was Devendra’s only way of demonstrating to them that he might be a star in life with his disability.
Financial troubles at home endured, but Devendra never let his sports practice suffer as a result. When he couldn’t get a new spear, he built his first javelin in his village out of locally obtained bamboo. During his practice at a school sports day in 1997, he was noticed by Dronacharya Awardee coach R. D. Singh, and Singh trained him from then on.
Following this, Devendra’s life took a drastic turn. With all of his skills, he continued to practice alone for hours regularly. Currently, he is one of the top-ranked para-athletes in the world, having established a new world record after qualifying for the Paralympics in Tokyo this year.