New Delhi, Sept. 27 -- Before May, not a single para javelin thrower in the F42 category had crossed the 60m mark. In the last four months, India's Mahendra Gurjar has breached the barrier thrice. He first burst on to the stage on 26 May at the Nottwil World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Switzerland, setting a new world record mark of 61.17m, eclipsing Roberto Floriani Edenilson's record of 59.19m set in 2022.

At the India Open Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru in July, he recorded two throws over 60m, setting a new world record of 63.16m. For a non-athlete these numbers may sound dull, but for Gurjar these are milestones in a journey he began around eight years ago, from Rajasthan's Sakhoon village that has a population of less t...