Tokyo Paralympics: Discus thrower Vinod Kumar clinches bronze; bags third medal for India

Bengaluru, Aug 29: It was super Sunday for India in Tokyo, as India bagged three medals in the ongoing Paralympics on Sunday. After Bhavina Patel and Nishad Kumar clinched silver medals earlier in the day, Vinod Kumar clinched India's third medal as he bagged bronze in the men's Discus Throw F52 event.

Kumar added the country's third medal, with all three medals coming on Sunday, with a best effort of 19.91m.

On his first attempt, Kumar registered a throw of 17.46, followed by 18.32 on his second attempt. Kumar came up with a throw of 17.80 on his third attempt, while he put himself in a strong position with a throw of 19.12 on his fourth attempt. In his fifth attempt, Vinod Kumar gave India hope of a medal as he registered his best throw of 19.91m to be placed second on the table.

Kumar's attempt of 19.91m saw the Indian discus thrower break the Asian Record.

Vinod Kumar - Remember the name 🤩

It's a #Bronze for #IND as his best throw of 19.91m in the Men's Discus Throw F52 final earns the nation their THIRD medal of the day.

P.S - He also set a new Asian record! 🔥#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics #ParaAthletics pic.twitter.com/jv92vZgBDQ

— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 29, 2021

The 41-year-old BSF man, whose father fought in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, finished third behind Piotr Kosewicz (20.02m) of Poland and Velimir Sandor (19.98m) of Croatia.

Kumar injured his legs while training after joining the BSF, falling off a cliff in Leh that left him bed-ridden for close to a decade during which he lost both his parents.

The F52 classification is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, with athletes competing in seated position. It also applies to cervical cord injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and functional disorder.

Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Bhavina Patel wins historic silver medal in table tennis

Earlier in the day, table tennis player Bhavina Patel started India's account in the Games by winning a silver medal. She became the first Indian paddler to secure a medal at the Paralympics. She's only the second Indian woman to bag a medal in the flagship event after Deepa Malik - who won a silver in shot put at Rio Games.

Tokyo Paralympics: High jumper Nishad Kumar clinches silver; bags second medal for India

The 34-year-old Patel's impressive run at the Games ended with a fighting 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to China's Ying Zhou, a two-time gold medallist, in the women's singles Class 4 summit clash which lasted 19 minutes.

India continued to enjoy a phenomenal day as the country won its second medal of the day. After Patel's silver, Nishad Kumar bagged the second silver medal for India on Sunday in the high jump T-47 category. Kumar finished tied second with USA's Dallas Wise. Following the two silver medals, Vinod Kumar gave India its third medal as he picked up the bronze medal.

(With inputs from PTI)