Yogesh Kathuniya of India delivered a stellar performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, claiming a silver medal in the men’s discus F56 final. Held at the Stade de France on Monday, the event saw Kathuniya achieve a season-best throw of 42.22 meters.
While Kathuniya’s performance was exceptional, it wasn’t enough to secure gold. Brazilian athlete Claudiney Batista dos Santos dominated the competition, setting a Paralympic Record with an impressive throw of 46.86 meters. Greece’s Konstantinos Tzounis secured bronze with a throw of 41.32 meters, narrowly edging out Slovakia’s Dusan Laczko who finished fourth with a throw of 41.20 meters.
The competition saw a dramatic turn of events as Serbia’s Nebojsa Duric, who had qualified for the final, was unable to participate.
Kathuniya’s journey to the podium was filled with excitement. He began his set of throws with a bang, surpassing his season best right off the bat. This throw placed him in second position behind the Brazilian, who had thrown earlier in the order. While Kathuniya needed a significant jump to overtake the leader, his subsequent throws saw a slight decrease in distance. He managed two throws exceeding 41 meters, followed by two in the 40s range before concluding with a throw of 39.68 meters.
Tzounis, the final competitor to throw, could only manage a best throw of 41.32 meters on his fifth attempt. This result secured him the bronze medal while leaving Kathuniya with the well-deserved silver.
