“Double-digit in medals”: Twitter goes berserk as Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar add silver and bronze to India’s tally at the Paralympics

India completed their Day 8 campaign at the Paralympics with 2 more medals coming from the athletics quartet. The magical duo of Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar stepped up and won silver and bronze in the men’s T42 category.

Both jumpers started their competition with a 1.73-meter jump. However, nothing could stop the Indians from winning medals in this event. India’s third jumper, Varun Singh Bhati, failed to deliver as he was unable to breach the 1.80-meter mark. He had to settle for a 7th place finish. Here’s more on what transpired during the event.

Mariyappan and Sharad shine for India in men’s high jump event

Mariyappan started the competition comfortably on top as he kept clearing the bar initially with ease. He missed two attempts at the 1.86-meter mark. However, he cleared it in the third attempt to go straight into the gold medal position.

The Indian was closely followed by American Sam Grewe, who also cleared the 1.86-meter mark. With 2 competitors left, the bar was set at the 1.88-meter mark. Mariyappan and Sam failed to clear the mark in two of their attempts. However, with the final try, the American pulled off a rabbit from his hat and walked away with gold.

Sharad Kumar was on par with Mariyappan at the start of the competition. He kept clearing the bar with ease as well. However when the bar was set at the 1.86-meter mark, Sharad struggled. The former Asian Games champion failed in each of his three attempts and settled for a bronze medal at the Paralympics.

Twitter reacts to sensational performance from Indian high-jumpers at Paralympics

In what was another glorious day for India at the Paralympics, the country won a total of 3 medals. There were high expectations from the high jumpers to deliver medals and they did exactly that. Mariyappan and Sharad showcased their stellar performances to bag the silver and bronze medals. Fans took to Twitter to congratulate them on their terrific performance.

Also Read: Mariyappan Thangavelu: From selling newspaper to becoming two-time Paralympics medallist

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