Mariyappan Thangavelu
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mariyappan Thangavelu | ||||||||||||
| Born |
28 June 1995 Periavadagampatti, Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Country |
 India | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||
| Event(s) | High Jump - T42 | ||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | 2016 Summer Paralympics: High Jump (T42) – Gold | ||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mariyappan Thangavelu (born 28 June 1995)[1] is an Indian Paralympic high jumper. He represented India in the 2016 Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro in the men's high jump T-42 category, winning the gold medal in the finals.[2][3] He is India's first Paralympian gold medallist since 2004.
Early life
Mariyappan was born in Periavadagampatti village, Salem district, Tamil Nadu, one of five children (four brothers and a sister). His father reportedly abandoned the family early on, and his mother, Saroja, raised her children as a single mother, carrying bricks as a labourer until becoming a vegetable seller, earning ₹100 (US$1.50) a day.[3] At the age of five, Mariyappan suffered permanent disability in his right leg when he was run over by a drunk bus driver while walking to school; the bus crushed his leg below the knee, causing it to become stunted.[4] Despite this setback, he completed secondary schooling; he says he "didn't see myself as different from able-bodied kids."[3]
Athletic career
Mariyappan enjoyed playing volleyball as a student; subsequently, his school Physical education instructor encouraged him to try high jumping. In his first competitive event, aged 14, he placed second among a field of able-bodied competitors, after which he received strong encouragement from his classmates and others in Salem district. In 2013, his current coach, Satyanarayana, first noticed his performance at the Indian national para-athletics championships, and formally took him on as a student in 2015, bringing him to Bengaluru for further coaching.[4]
In March 2016, Mariyappan cleared a distance of 1.78m in the men's high jump T42 event at the IPC Grand Prix in Tunisia, qualifying him for the Rio Paralympics.[4] At the Rio Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the men's high jump T42 finals, with a leap of 1.89 m.[5]
Personal life
In 2015, Mariyappan completed a bachelor's degree in business administration from AVS College of Arts and Science. He plans to complete an MBA from the same institution.[5]
He has an elder sister, Sudha, and two younger brothers, Kumar and Gopi.[5]
Awards and recognition
- For the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
- ₹2 crore (US$300,000) from the Government of Tamil Nadu[6]
- ₹75 lakh (US$110,000) from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports[6]
- ₹30 lakh (US$45,000) from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment[7]
- ₹15 lakh (US$22,000) from fund established by Sachin Tendulkar, various corporations.[8]
- ₹10 lakh (US$15,000) from Yash Raj Films[9]
- ₹10 lakh (US$15,000) from the Delhi Golf Club[10]
See also
References
- ↑ C., Aprameya (10 September 2016). "Rio Paralympics: Who is history-maker Mariyappan Thangavelu?". OneIndia.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ↑ "Paralympics 2016 | Mariyappan Thangavelu wins India's first gold in Rio". 2016-09-10. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- 1 2 3 Stalin, J. Sam Daniel (10 September 2016). "Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu's Golden Leap From Poverty". NDTV Sports. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- 1 2 3 Chidananda, Shreedutta (20 May 2016). "It's not beyond me, even gold is possible: Mariyappan". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Indians bag gold, bronze in men's high jump in Paralympics". The Hindu. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- 1 2 "Rio Paralympics: Jayalalithaa announces Rs 2 crore award for gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu". The Indian Express. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ↑ "Govt announces Rs 90L cash awards in total for Paralympics medal winners". Hindustan Times. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ↑ "India's Rio 2016 Paralympics medal winners felicitated". The Indian Express. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ "Yash Raj Films to honour Indian Paralympic medal winners". Deccan Herals. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- ↑ "Delhi Golf club announces Rs 50 lakh in cash awards for Rio Olympics and Paralympics winners". Firstpost Sports. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.