New Delhi: Mariyappan Thangavelu made history in Rio de Janeiro by winning India's first gold medal at the Paralympics, competing in the T42 high jump event.
Thangavelu jumped 1.89 metres to win gold while fellow countryman Varun Singh Bhati jumped a personal best of 1.86 metres to settle for bronze.
Here are some facts about the 22-year-old para-athlete who hails from Tamil Nadu's Salem district:
1. His mother is a vegetable seller who earns just Rs. 100 per day.
2. Mariyappan completed his BBA from AVS college of Arts and Science
3. He was trained for two years by Bengaluru-based Sathya Narayana, who also paid him a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month.
4. Thangavelu's disability is not by birth. He was run over by a government bus near his school while he was 5 years old.
5. His family lives in a small house paying five hundred rupees as rent.
6. He qualified for Rio by achieving the ‘A’ Qualification mark, clearing 1.78 metres at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Grand Prix.
Facts courtesy: NDTV and Hindustan Times
