Latest news with #Antil
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Don't have same level of motivation: Antil
Bengaluru: Sumit Antil , one of India's most celebrated para-athletes, is grappling with a challenge far removed from the javelin runway — a waning sense of motivation. The reigning Paralympic and world champion has dominated the F64 category with world-record shattering thro-ws, but the question of what next has left Antil craving for a newer challenge. To test his limitations and improve his game, Antil has set his sights on the ultimate frontier: competing against able-bodied athletes on the global stage. Antil, who pocketed a routine gold with a throw of 72.25 metres in the men's javelin throw (F12 & F64) event at the 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship here on Friday, rued the lack of motivation, but asserted that he continues to try and improve in every tournament. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Speaking to TOI at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Antil said, "I don't have the same level of motivation anymore. Now, my only aim is doing better than my previous competition. I get so many facilities from sponsors and the government. So, I feel the responsibility to do better." Admitting that he may be lacking motivation, the Haryana athlete says the hunger is still there. "I'm not getting the push that I wanted in the Para Games. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Paras Sector 59 Gurgaon | Luxury Awaits at Paras Floret Paras The Florett Book Now Undo I want to compete with the able-bodied athletes next year to get that push to move ahead. That will help me test my limits. "Even today, I was thinking of doing better, but the weather ruined it. At Worlds, I want to try and break the world record. I want to reach 75 metres, it's been two years since I've breached that mark," said the 27-year-old, who is gearing up for the global meet set to be held in New Delhi in Sept-Oct. Meanwhile, the two-time Paralympic gold medallist, lauded the country's support system for para-athletes but rued the lack of competition. "I've been a part of the sport for the past eight years and there's been a lot of improvement. The Paralympics revolution (for India) started in Rio 2016. There are a lot of top schemes and sponsors are paying attention, and we can see the result – 19 medals in Tokyo and 29 in Paris. Also, there's a lot of preparations for Los Angeles. "Junior athletes are getting enough support from the government. Parasports is moving in the right direction. What we lack is competition for athletes - especially at the grassroots level," opined Antil. Asked about his LA plans, a smiling Antil said, "LA is very far away, so not thinking about it. "For now, I'm preparing for Worlds and the Asian Games. I want to defend my title" signed off Antil, who plans to open an academy for budding athletes in the future. Keshavamurthy shines Keshavamurthy Koratikere enjoyed the best outing for a Karnataka athlete on a rain-marred opening day. While Koratikere clinched silver in the men's 1500m Run (T11), the state athlete registered a third-place finish in the men's 400m run (T11 & T12). On day 1 Karnataka clinched five medals. Results (K'taka only): Men: 400m (T11 & T12): 3. Keshavamurthy Koratikere (1:01.3s); 1500m T11: 2. Keshavamurthy (4:44.6). Women: Long jump (T20, T37 & T44): 2. Harshita Tater (3.21m); Discus throw F57: 2. Shilpa Kanchugarkoppalu (17.8m); Shot put (F32, F33, F34): 2. Medha Jayanth (5.18m).
India Gazette
11-07-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Neeraj Chopra looking to improve throw by
By Sahil Kohli Gurugram (Haryana) [India], July 11 (ANI): India's reigning world champion and Tokyo Olympics 2020 gold medalist javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra said that after touching the 90-metre mark finally, he is taking things step by step and the next aim is to improve his throw by one or two metres more. Neeraj was speaking to ANI at an event held by Under Armour in Gurugram. Speaking about the possibility of touching the 95-m mark, Neeraj told ANI, 'I believe in going step-by-step. I have touched 90 m now, so I would like to increase it by one or two metres. Then aim for 95 m. As Sumit (Antil) said, 95 m is indeed possible. Then, after that, I would try breaking my coach's record.' After his win at the Paris Diamond League meet recently, Neeraj had said about breaking his coach Jan Zelezny's record, ' He has thrown 98m, and so many over 90. Maybe once I hit 95m, then I can start to say something - but right now, I need to keep working,' he said. With Zelenzy in his corner, who holds the world record in men's javelin throw with 98.48 m effort in 1996, Neeraj touched the 90 m for the first time in his career as he came second at the Doha Diamond League in May. It put an end to years of media discussion and hype around Neeraj touching the coveted mark. But he came second at the event, with Germany's Julian Weber touching 91.06 m. Neeraj touched a stupendous 90.23 metres. Earlier, in an interview with ANI, Para-athletic javelin thrower and double Paralympics gold medalist Antil had backed Neeraj to go beyond the 90-m and touch 95-m. 'As an athlete, it is not far for Neeraj to cross 95 meters. His technique is very good. I have been following him since 2017, when I joined Parasports and did a javelin throw as a game. I have seen positive changes in his run-up and other things,' said Antil. Speaking on his preparations to defend the title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this year, Neeraj said, 'I am preparing well for it and I hope to give my level best there. It is the biggest and most important competition of the year. Will continue preparing well for it.' The World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo from 13-21 September 2025. If Neeraj wins the title, he could become the first Indian to defend his crown. Any other coloured medal would make it a hat-trick of medals at the marquee event, first-ever by an Indian, having won the silver medal back in 2022 before following it with a historic gold at Budapest. On his partnership with coach Zelezny, Neeraj said that they are doing some technical work together, and he is happy with his training so far. 'We are trying to follow the javelin and do not fall towards the left much. I want to implement all this in my competitions,' he added. Speaking on the importance of a player's gear, clothes and shoes, Neeraj said, 'It is important. You should get comfort and quality. It keeps you injury-free. You get support in your performance as well.' Chopra took the top honours in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a competition named after him at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium in Bengaluru recently on Saturday. The reigning javelin throw champion stood triumphant with 86.18m in a competition named after him. Kenya's Julius Yego notched up his season best and settled for second with 84.51m. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage claimed the third position with a best throw of 84.34m. While some athletes came close to challenging Neeraj's supremacy, the Indian's finesse remained unmatched by the end of the tournament. Even though it was not another 90m outing for the 27-year-old, he stamped his authority by conquering the challenge that he encountered and ensured that he continued to stay inside the top two since June 26, 2021. He has had a fine season so far in 2025. Neeraj kickstarted with a win at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April and followed it up with a very special second-place finish at Doha Diamond League, where he crossed the 90-metre mark for the first time ever, with a throw of 90.23 m. He also went on to secure a second spot in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland later that month and resumed his winning ways with back-to-back titles at Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike this month, with best efforts of 88.16 m and 85.29 m. Most recently came his NC Classic triumph in front of his home crowd. (ANI)
India Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Neeraj Chopra invited me for historic Bengaluru event: Paralympic champion Sumit Antil
An unprecedented move from javelin star Neeraj Chopra nearly came through for NC Classic when he invited reigning Paralympic champion Sumit Antil to participate in his historic event in Bengaluru. Antil, who has won the Paralympic gold for two straight editions, revealed to India Today in an exclusive interview that Neeraj wanted him to participate in the able-bodied Antil, who lost his left leg in an accident at the age of 16, has dominated the para javelin discipline for several years. He currently holds the world record for the biggest throw recorded in para javelin history, which came in the 2023 Asian Para revealed that Neeraj wanted him to participate in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, which will feature some of the top javelin stars from around the world. Antil, however, declined the invite as the original dates were set to clash with his Nottwil competition. Sumit himself has been keen on playing able-body competition, in a bid to reach his dream of throwing 80+ meters, a feat unheard of in his discipline. "Neeraj bhai texted me for his event. But during the original dates of the competition, I had the Nottwil event. They were clashing. He invited me and said, 'Sumit bhai, I wanted you to participate in this event in Bengaluru and give Indian javelin a unified stage.' But we had to drop the idea because the dates were clashing," Sumit said in an interview facilitated by Sun competition was originally set to be held on May 24 but was later shifted to July 5 at the Kanteerava Stadium in not realising the scale: SumitSumit Antil had high hopes for the event and stressed that people in India still have not grasped how big this will be for the javelin and athletics scene in the country. He explained that the first-of-its-kind event will be incredibly helpful for Indian athletes, who will be able to test themselves against the top talents in the world."But see, the first thing is that people are not realising how big of a platform this is. Neeraj has given a huge platform to the athletes, to Indian sports with this competition. This is an A-class competition that is going to be held in India. People will be eligible for world championship qualification through this event. Especially for the Indian athletes, who will be participating in their home conditions, in their own weather, it is going to be huge," Sumit confirmed that he will participate in future events if he is able to throw a distance of 75m+ regularly."For me, when I am in range, when I start throwing 75m+ regularly, I am definitely going to participate in this event," he Sun Pharma initiativeadvertisementSumit Antil made it public on July 1 that he has signed up with Sun Pharma in a bid to thank all the doctors, especially those associated with sports, who help athletes recover from major injuries."This is a great initiative from Sun Pharma. Whenever athletes talk about their journey, they talk about family, teachers and friends, but I think they are not appreciative enough toward their doctors. In our line of work, doctors are very important because they save lives, they fix issues, but they do not get enough recognition. When I got to know about this initiative, I thought I would get to say thank you to the doctors for giving me a second life after my accident," he said."I have had a recurring injury since the Tokyo Paralympics (2021). I have been carrying a fracture since then. But I am much better now. My injury is healed, but I am yet to achieve a balance between the right and left side of my back. And doctors have played a big role in guiding me through all of that. I have been able to maintain my career at a high level because of them," Sumit concluded.- EndsMust Watch
