Kapil Parmar was tragically electrocuted in his childhood while playing in the fields of his village in Madhya Pradesh. He overcame that massive shock to be an established para-athlete and on Thursday became the first Indian judoka to win a medal at the Paralympics.
The 23-year-old from Sehore in Madhya Pradesh won a bronze in the men's 60kg (J1) convincingly defeating Brazil's Elielton de Oliveira in the play-off. It was by far the biggest achievement of his career and came after years of hardship.
As a child, Parmar had a life-altering accident when he was playing in the fields of his village and accidentally touched a water pump, resulting in a severe electric shock.
He was found unconscious by a villager and taken to the hospital, where he stayed in a coma for six months. His eyes were severely affected, and he competes in the J1 class where competitors have lost 90 percent of their vision.
He is the youngest of four brothers and a sister. Parmar's father works as a taxi driver, while his sister runs a primary school.
Despite the setback, Parmar never gave up his love for judo. He continued to pursue his passion in blind judo, thanks to his coach Munawar Azar. Parmar also used to run a tea stall with his brother Lalit to make ends meet.
Lalit, his source of inspiration, even now stays his main source of financial support.
Parmar hopes his historic medal will lift the profile of the sport in India.
"I am currently world number one and top seed, so I had come with a gold medal in mind. But it was not my day and had to settle for bronze. I am feeling proud to have won the first para judo medal for the country," he said.
"It is a sport not many people still don't know. Hope my medal inspires para-sport. It's a difficult journey but I have made my country and parents proud. I dedicate this medal to my coach Munawar Azar," said an emotional Parmar.
The J1 class in para judo is for athletes who suffer from no to very low visual activity. Athletes in this category wear red circles to indicate that they may need guided support before, during and after a contest.
Parmar, who won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the same category, had beaten Venezuela's Marco Dennis Blanco 10-0 in the quarterfinals in Paris.
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