Internet Desk: The journey of Rio Paralympics Games gold medal winner Mariyappan Thangavelu wasn’t a smooth one. The 21 year old high jumper from Periyavadagampatti village in Salem district of Tamil Nadu had to cross several hurdles before achieving the glory in Rio. Here are ten unknown facts about Mariyappan who defied all odds in his road to success.
- Mariyappan was only five years old when his right knee was crushed in a bus accident.
- He was brought up by his mother Saroja as his father abandoned the family at a young age. She used to sell vegetables in order to maintain the family.
- In his first competitive event against able-bodied athletes aged 14, he emerged second.
- He was spotted by his coach Satyanarayana at the National Para-Athletics Championship when he was just 18 years old.
- Mariyappan became the World No. 1 in 2015 in his first year of senior-level competition.
- He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration.
- Mariyappan’s first love was volleyball before chosing high jump as a professional sport.
- The family is still battling a legal tussle with the state owned transport corporation.
- He also won gold medal at the IPC Tunisia Grand Prix, jumping 1.78m.
- Mariyappan has two younger brothers and an elder sister.
Mariyappan’s feat has been lauded by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sports Minister Vijay Goel and former Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra. The list though, doesn’t end there. The Tamil Nadu government announced a cash reward of Rs 2 crore for Mariyappan.