Discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya’s parents wanted him to become a doctor, but there was a twist of fate when at the age of 9 he fell in a park and could not stand up. The doctors said he had Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder that hampers body movement and results in muscle weakness . He may not be able to walk again, they felt. But after years of treatment, including physiotherapy, he could stand using a crutch.
The 27-year-old’s second medal in the discus, a silver on Monday at the Paralympics in Paris to go with his silver in Tokyo three years ago, is a testament to his grit and fighting spirit. And of his mother Meena Devi who took him on a scooter, strapped in so her pre-teen son does not lose balance, to meet doctors at the Western Command Hospital in Chandimandir Cantt in Chandigarh. Doctors at the Base Hospital in Delhi were also consulted.
The Kathuniya family were watching Yogesh excel on the world stage at the family home in Ballabgarh. In the men’s discus (F56) final, Yogesh threw a distance of 42.22 metres to finish second. F56 is a classification in which athletes compete in a seated position.
“Yogesh was a very studious child and we wanted him to become a doctor. But he fell in the park one day and it seemed like most of his body was paralysed. When we took him to the command hospital, doctors told us about the Guillain-Barre syndrome. We did not know anything about it but doctors told us that he may not walk again. The Paralympic medals are due to the persistence of his mother and Yogesh’s will power,” Captain Gian Chand (Retd), Yogesh’s father, who served in the EME in the Indian Army, said.
Once Yogesh was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, it was a long ordeal for the family.
Yogesh Kathuniya of India won silver medal.
“The only thing on my mind was how can I make my son walk again. From spending hours at Base Hospital Delhi to learning physiotherapy and taking him for massages to different traditional centres in remote villages in Rajasthan and Haryana for months, I did everything,” Devi recalls.
After years of physiotherapy, Yogesh could start walking with the support.
Once he got admission at the Kirori Mal College he met other para-athletes and was inspired. Among them was Asian medallist Neeraj Yadav. He also trained with coach Satya Pal and Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh at JLN Stadium. After medals at the national level, the youngster made it to the Indian Para team in 2018. “When he was to go for his first international event in 2018, friends like Neeraj Yadav and others helped fund his trip and it motivated him a lot,” his mother recalls.
Devi also oversees Yogesh’s training along with two of his coaches and physiotherapist at the JLN Stadium. Yogesh has also opened an academy to train other para-athletes.
Within six months of his first international tournament, the youngster would finish fourth in 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta before winning a bronze medal in World Para Championship in Dubai, where he registered a throw of 42.05m. At Tokyo, Yogesh won the silver medal with a throw of 44.38m behind Rio Olympics champion Brazilian Claudiney Batista dos Santos, who threw 45.59m.
A second setback
In 2022 there was another setback after Yogesh was diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy, a nerve condition affecting the spinal cord. It took him six months to recover.
“When he came to train with us, Yogesh still used support and he could not hold the discus properly because his fingers were bent due to the syndrome. We worked on that. Then our main task was to find a balance with the sitting position on the wheelchair before he could improve his throwing technique. While the progress was slow, gaining upper body strength and flexibility in arms helped him a lot,” Coach Naval said.
Over the last four years Yogesh has won a silver medal each in the World Para Championships in Paris and Japan. In 2022, Yogesh also created a new world record of 48.34m at the Open National Para Championship. He then won the silver medal in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Para games with a throw of 42.13m.
“Whenever he feels low he remembers the initial days of struggle. It keeps Yogesh going. He wants young para athletes to emulate him. He has set an example,” Devi says. With back-to-back silver medals at the Paralympics, Yogesh has set a high bar.
