Mariappan Thangavelu took six steps on his left foot, then launched off his right, vaulted over the bar, and into history.
On Friday night in Rio de Janeiro, the 21-year-old became India’s third-ever gold medallist at the Paralympic Games, winning the men’s T-42 high jump event with a leap of 1.89m.
“I’m just very happy,” he said on the phone afterwards. “I expected to win a medal. I just stayed calm and did my best.”
Talking to The Hindu in May, Mariappan had seemed confident of finishing on the podium in Rio. “It is not beyond me,” he had declared. “Even gold is possible.”
He had then pointed to his large, misshapen right big toe. “This is what gives me leverage when I jump,” he had said. “It is my God.” Four months later in Rio, it would not fail him.
Mariappan hails from Periavadagampatti, a village some 50 km from Salem, where at the age of five an accident left him with a permanent disability. A drunk bus driver swerved dangerously off the road and ran over his right leg, crushing it below the knee.
His mother sells vegetables for a living back home, while Mariappan trains in Bengaluru. “I spoke to my mother last night. She said I would definitely win the gold,” he said. “My first priority is to help her. I want to construct a house of our own.”
Coach not surprised Mariappan has been training under his coach, Satyanarayana, for a year now. “He was the top-ranked jumper in the world, so I was not surprised by his performance,” the latter said. “But recording your best jump in a major competition is not easy. He beat the reigning World Champion (Sam Grewe).”
The Salem SDAT coach, K. Elamparithi, who fine-tuned Mariappan said “actually, his personal best is 1.91m. Ever since he did that in the training, I was confident he would clinch the gold at the Paralympics.”
Mariappan had always been sincere with his training. “He had trained both morning and evening for months together for this special day. He did not enjoy any great facilities as many athletes do but had the fire in his belly to make it big,” said Elamparithi.
When Mariappan joined Elamparithi three years ago for training he was clearing a height of 1.74m. “He was good enough even then. But, he was doing the belly roll and I soon introduced the Fosbury Flop and it worked wonders. He kept improving every month,” said Elamparithi.
He added Mariappan was a cool and calm customer. “He does not converse much but he prefers to do all the talking with his confident performances on the field.”
Happiness tinged with regret Meanwhile, Varun Singh Bhati expressed regret over missing out on a silver medal. “I feel normal; I don’t feel so great. I wish the colour of the medal was different,” he said. “I was happy with my performance, because I achieved a personal best, but not the result.”
“I’m not satisfied with this. I want to do better at the World Championships in London next year,” he said.
Bhati, whose father is a sarpanch of Jamalpur village near Greater Noida, thanked the Rio crowd for its support. “They were so loud. They cheered us every step of the way. It made me very happy,” he said. “I hope what Mariappan and I have done inspires other high-jumpers in India.”
