World Para Athletics C'ships: Dharambir wins silver in club throw, Atul clinches a bronze
New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- Indian duo of Dharambir Nain and Pranav Soorma weren't at their best in men's F51 club throw competition while World Championships debutant Atul Kaushik won a surprise bronze in F57 discus final as India ended a rain-hit, middling day with two medals here on Thursday.
F51 classification involves athletes with impairment to their trunk, legs, and hands while F57 athletes are afflicted with lower limb impairments.
Much was expected of Dharambir and Pranav a year after they did an Indian 1-2 at the Paris Paralympics, but the duo flattered to deceive on home turf. Dharambir, with a season's best of 30.37m and a personal best of 34.92m, could muster a best of 29.71m for a second-place finish while Pranav's season's best of 28.19m was good enough only for a fifth place.
Dharambir led the field briefly before Serbia's Aleksander Radisic threw 30.36m - the only 30m throw of the competition - to upstage him. Later, Belarusian Uladzislau Hryb threw 28.70m to push Pranav out of the medal bracket and take third.
The club throw event was interrupted by a brief spell of rain and resumed after a 45-minute hiatus.
"Rain definitely played a part. The ground was wet which meant we had trouble gripping. The glue wasn't sticking properly. I am happy to win a medal but it would have been great to have Paranav on the podium as well," said Dharambir.
The weight distribution of clubs has undergone a change recently with the mass being shifted from the head to its metal base, making it harder to throw farther. The ongoing Worlds is the first event with the rejigged clubs. "Besides the wet conditions, redistribution of mass in clubs is one of the reasons for most athletes throwing less than 30m. That's why it is important to start well," said Daharambir's coach Amit Saroha.
Dharambir took second spot on his first legal throw before confirming it with a 29.71m throw on the last try.
Meanwhile, in the men's discus F57 final, Kaushik's fifth attempt of 45.61m fetched him a bronze medal while Priyans Kumar, despite a personal best of 42.52m, could only end eighth among 10 competitors. Libya's Mahmoud Rajab won gold with a Championship Record of 46.73m and Brazil's Thiago Paulini Dos Santos was next with 45.69m....
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