“I’ll tell you frankly, I am a bit bored. I am not getting the push from para-javelin anymore,” a candid Sumit Antil admitted.
A two-time Paralympic champion and the current world record holder in the men’s F64 discipline, Sumit has consistently stayed far ahead of the curve compared to his competitors. Not only does he hold back-to-back Paralympic golds, but he has also dominated the para-javelin circuit globally, winning comfortably in both Asian and world competitions.
For Sumit, however, this creates a unique dilemma: where does he go from here? How does he continue to stay motivated — to wake up every morning, endure a rigorous training routine, and compete in events he is almost certain to win?
Sources close to Sumit Antil told IndiaToday.in that, due to the lack of competition, he no longer feels challenged — a situation that has led to a plateau in his performances since 2023.
Since breaking the world record with a throw of 73.29m at the 2023 Asian Para Games, Sumit has not improved on that mark in nearly two years. And that becomes a problem for an athlete who has openly spoken about breaching the 80-metre barrier — a milestone never before achieved in the para-javelin discipline.
It’s not that he’s stopped winning. At his most recent event in Nottwil, Sumit won gold with a throw of 72.35m. But those victories no longer fuel his fire.
As a result, Sumit has taken matters into his own hands. Casting aside hesitation and the limitations often imposed on para-athletes, he has gone out of his way to participate in an able-bodied competition.
Sumit competed in the AtletiCAGeneve meet — a bronze-tier event on the World Athletics calendar. The aim was to test himself against able-bodied competitors who regularly throw farther than he does.
It was unfamiliar territory, but Sumit embraced the challenge, both physically and mentally.
“I found a line that I need to cross. There are some things that one athlete can only learn from watching another athlete. I realised in Geneva that I was lacking in technique and that was the whole reason behind participating in Geneva. I went there to learn, and I understood the deficiencies that I have and only that can help me better myself in the para-world championships,” Sumit said in an interview facilitated by Sun Pharma, adding he was also invited to compete in Saturday’s Neeraj Chopra Classic.
In his mind, Sumit is very clear about the path he wants to pursue. His ambition goes beyond winning medals — he’s focused on breaking the elusive 80-metre mark.
“Competing with them was an inspiring thing for me as well, as my dream is not gold, but to throw 80m plus, which is considered as an impossible feat for any para-athlete in javelin,” he shared, offering a glimpse into his mindset.
ENVIRONMENTS VASTLY DIFFERENT
Sumit also encourages his fellow para-athletes to enter able-bodied competitions. His close friend, high jumper Nishad Kumar, has already been doing so for a while. In 2024, Nishad had told India Today how he benefited from those experiences, despite not winning a flurry of medals.
“I think, not only me, but the others should play as well. The environment in para-sports and able-bodied sports are vastly different. When I play para-sports, you always meet an athlete who has been given a new lease of life. When I went to Geneva and met the able-bodied athletes, I was shocked that they knew who I was, and said that they were inspired by not only me but also by other para-athletes as well. I thought that was really special. They said that in future, they wanted every one of us to compete together,” Sumit said, reflecting on his experience at AtletiCAGeneve.
Is there a difference between competing in para and able-bodied competitions? Sumit Antil doesn’t think so. For him, the process remains the same — it’s always about self-improvement.
“I don’t think that there was a lot of difference between competing in para and able body, because I was concerned with my throws, like I always am. I do not bother about who is ahead of me, who is behind. But in able-bodied competition, I found throws that were much beyond me, people throwing 78-79m,” Sumit said.
The Indian javelin star said that he will certainly take part in more able-bodied competitions in the future — potentially moving up from bronze-tier events to gold, and perhaps even the Diamond League someday. That may sound far-fetched, but as he says, there’s no harm in dreaming.
“100 per cent I am going to do more able-bodied competitions after para-world championships. My goal will be to mostly take part in the able-bodied competitions. To be honest, I am simply not getting the push in para sports anymore. I have dominated it for the last few years and I think it has flatlined. In able body competitions I am not at the top, and that fires me up in competitions. Next year, I will be doing a lot more,” Antil added.
For now, Sumit Antil is expected to rest and allow his body to recover in the run-up to the Para World Athletics Championships.
It is perhaps the journey after that — one into uncharted territory — that will define the second half of his career, and potentially leave a lasting legacy in the history of Indian sport.
– Ends
