Mr. Devendra Jhajharia is an Indian javelin thrower and a two-time Paralympic gold medallist. At the age of eight, he touched a live electric cable, and his left hand had to be amputated. He picked up the javelin in the eighth grade and has come a long way since then. Mr. Jhajharia won his first gold medal in the 2004 Summer Paralympics held at Athens, setting a new world record. He then beat his own record at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held at Rio de Janeiro. He is a proud holder of the title of Padma Shri and has also received the Arjuna and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards.
Mr. Jhajharia was born in Churu, a small district in Rajasthan where sportsmen were generally not held in high regard. Growing up, people discouraged him from pursuing a career in sports because of his disability. However, he was always drawn towards track and field events and was especially fascinated by the javelin. But pursuing a sport like javelin in a place like Churu proved to be a challenge due to a lack of resources and opportunities. He had to make his first javelin out of wood with his own hand, and eventually went on to win the district gold in his school days, thereby proving his mettle. Since that was his first ever breakthrough, he felt that winning the district gold was just as rewarding as winning a Paralympic medal.
At the age of 35 years, Mr. Jhajharia is still going strong and does not intend to stop playing anytime soon. He firmly believes that age is not a hindrance if one leads a disciplined lifestyle. He is very dedicated and follows a strict training regime. In fact, he feels fitter now than he did at 23. In his free time, he travels all over the country giving motivational talks and spreading awareness about the differently abled. Despite having achieved great heights, he remains a modest soul. “Don’t look at what heights you have scaled; look at how far you have come” is the ideology he lives by.
His message to the athletes playing BOSM is “Victory and defeat are two sides of the same coin. No matter the outcome, one should never lose heart. It’s not surpassing others but surpassing oneself that counts.”
Mr Jhajharia is a symbol of hard work and perseverance and will continue to inspire many generations of athletes.