Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur felicitates Mariyappan Thangavelu on winning silver

New Delhi: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday felicitated Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu, who was disappointed at not winning gold. Mariyappan, who won a gold in 2016 Rio Paralympics, bagged a silver this time around in T42 category with a best jump of 1.86m. Another Indian, Sharad Kumar took the bronze with a best jump of 1.83m. “Mariyyapan has made the country proud with his performance in Rio and now in Tokyo. I congratulate him and take this occasion to congratulate all our para athletes for their fantastic performance,” Thakur said in a statement. Mariyappan, on his part, said: “I had expected to win a gold for India but due to the weather conditions on the day of the event, I could not fulfill that dream. I am confident that in Paris I will win a gold for the country again.” The T42 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs. The athletes compete in a standing position.