Been there, done that. Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia knows what it takes to perform at the Paralympics. After two gold medals - in Athens 2004 and Rio 2016, the 40-year-old from Churu district of Rajasthan created history on Monday by winning his third consecutive medal in his third Paralympics for India.
This time, he had to settle for a silver after a 64.35m throw in his third attempt in the F46 javelin event. He broke his own world record of 63.97m that he had created in Rio, but Sri Lanka's Dinesh Priyantha Herath re-wrote the world record with a spear throw of 67.79m that earned him a gold.
"It has been nearly 20 years in my international career, and to be able to prove myself at this platform at this age is a very big achievement for me," Jhajharia told TOI from Tokyo. He is not thinking about 'what next' and is soaking in the feeling of accomplishment. "I will first come to India and celebrate and will then think about other things. But to maintain continuity, I might participate in the Asian Games next year," the athlete from Rajasthan said.
Having endured hardships at the start of his career, Jhajharia's life has since then undergone a huge transformation. From wearing Rs 250 spikes in Athens to being able to afford top-class products and facilities, Jhajharia have credit to government facilities and financial rewards that changed things for him after the Athens outing.
"Humney abb apna ghar bhi bana liya hain (we have now constructed a house of our own in Jaipur). Devendra is focused on his game and we are bearing fruits of his hard work. He has to stay away from us for long, but this is how it works for sportspersons. He was preparing for Tokyo and was at SAI's centre in Gandhinagar for the last 10 months, so he asked us to go ahead with the housewarming ceremony without him. After delaying it, we finally shifted to our new house on August 20. We are all excited to welcome him in our new home," said Jhajharia's wife Manju.
The biggest change came when the central government made sure that para-athletes were included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), says the Jhajharia family.
Jhajharia wanted to win the medal in Tokyo for his late father, who died last year in October. "He wanted to see him make history, but unfortunately that could not happen. Even at the time of his father's demise he did not stay at home for long. His mother told him to resume training and accomplish his father's dream of a hat-trick of gold medals in Paralympics," Devendra's wife, who is a homemaker, said.
Jhajharia is currently employed as assistant conservator in the state forest department.
