The Paralympic medal that wasn’t nonetheless torments Vinod Kumar’s household

It’s been over per week since Vinod Kumar misplaced his Paralympic discus throw (F52) bronze however his daughter nonetheless believes her father is a Paralympic medallist. Sakshi, 7, watched her father end third on the reside stream however isn’t conscious but of the fiasco that adopted.
“She still thinks her father got home a medal from Tokyo,” says Anita, Vinod’s spouse
There’s no mistaking the air of grief and anguish on the rented lodging in Rohtak the Kumar’s name residence. They’ve gone by way of an emotional roller-coaster these previous few weeks. First, there was the enjoyment of the 41-year-old setting a career-best try of 19.91m to earn him bronze within the F52 classification of the boys’s discus occasion in Tokyo. But the consequence was placed on maintain for a classification overview. And after the evaluation the next morning, the panel discovered him ineligible for the F52 class.
“We had already distributed sweets to our neighbours and were celebrating his win,” Anita recollects. “We thought our life would change after the medal but later that night my husband called me to and said the results were put on hold.”
Vinod’s name got here as their residence was swarming with celebrating associates and relations. They muted the festivities, however nonetheless remained hopeful. But the following day, Vinod, in tears, referred to as Anita to tell her that he wouldn’t return with a medal.
“No matter how tough you are at the end of the day, you are human. I am still shattered,” says Vinod.
The second the preliminary outcomes got here out, Vinod thought his life would take a flip for good.
“I thought I would finally be able to buy a house for my children. I thought my loan installments would be sorted and I could also return the money I have borrowed from my sister,” he provides.
He claims the loans, together with curiosity, quantity to round Rs 10 lakh. The small grocery retailer they ran close to the Rohtak stadium too has been vacated and the household presently has no supply of earnings.
“I don’t want to sit and think all day about the medal that slipped from my hands, but I want to train for Paris. I desperately need some support or else I would be forced to quit sports. Right now, it’s a struggle to even take care of my family’s expenses. How will I be able to compete when I have no source of income?” says Vinod.

In 2002, whereas coaching with the Border Security Force in Leh, he fell off a cliff. He required main surgical procedure to each legs and remained bedridden for nearly a decade.
“After my father’s demise, the family’s responsibilities grew on me. I knew I had to do something. I pushed myself during my physiotherapy sessions and slowly developed some strength in my upper body,” he says.
In 2010, he obtained married to Anita who has been his cornerstone ever since. “Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to become a professional athlete,” says Vinod.
The Rohtak resident’s foray into athletics although was fairly current. It was solely after he got here throughout a newspaper article about Rio Paralympic silver medallist Deepa Malik in 2016 that the household was launched to the world of para-sports.
“We had no clue that differently-abled people could take part in sports,” says Vinod.
He wished to know extra about para-sports and operating a small retailer close to Rohtak’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium helped his case.
Archery coach Sanjay Suhag, who used to frequent his retailer guided him by way of the method initially. Vinod began coaching for discus on the stadium and would later rush to the shop so his spouse Anita might get just a little break. The routine continued till final 12 months when travelled to Bangalore for remedy.
He was twice contaminated with Covid-19 and briefly misplaced his voice after his first bout with the virus.
“It was not easy to come back and resume training after Covid. I have worked really hard in the run-up to Tokyo but unfortunately, this issue happened. But I don’t live in the past. I never have,” Vinod concludes.
Now he appears to be like in the direction of Paris 2024.