India's record-breaking javelin thrower attributes phenomenal success to ditching his prosthetic running blade for a more unconventional approach

Just three months after breaking his own previous javelin world record with a 70.83-meter effort at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris this July, Sumit Antil from India repeated the feat at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.

The 25-year-old reigning Paralympics champion rewrote his own world record with a throw of 73.29m to win gold in the men's javelin F64 event at Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium on Wednesday.

A consistent record-breaker, Antil stands as the sole para javelin thrower globally to surpass the 70m mark, and he did it twice in Hangzhou.

Starting off Wednesday's competition in Hangzhou with an effort of 66.22m, he then moved up the gears with a throw of 70.48m before obliterating the world record with 73.29m.

Antil did not attempt his final two throws, possibly because, by that point, he knew he had comfortably secured gold.

Born in Sonepat, Haryana, in 1998, Antil was training as a wrestler until an accident in 2015 changed his life.

His motorbike was hit by a speeding truck while he was returning home from training, resulting in a 53-day hospital stay and the loss of his left leg.

The emotional toll of the accident was huge, knowing that he would never realize his dream of becoming a wrestler, so he stepped away from sports to prioritize his studies.

It wasn't until three years later, in 2018, inspired by the encouragement of another para athlete in his village, that he returned to the field of play.

He reckons taking up para sports was the best decision of his life.

"I can work out for eight to nine hours regularly, but I can't sit on a chair for eight to nine hours," he said.

"Success doesn't happen overnight. Keep your eye on the prize and never look back," Antil once wrote on social media.

Antil achieved a remarkable victory in the men's javelin F64 event at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, securing the gold medal with a throw of 68.55m, which was a para sports world record at the time.

He embarked on his record-breaking journey at the Indian Open Para Athletics Championships last year, where his remarkable throw of 68.62m surpassed his performance in Tokyo.

In 2022, he was named Para Athlete of the Year by The Times of India.

The F64 category is for athletes with a leg amputation who compete in a standing position using prosthetics.

What sets Antil apart from most F64 athletes is that he doesn't use a blade; instead, he competes with a more basic prosthetic foot because he believes he uses less energy this way.

"The secret to success is knowing your body, what your body actually requires at a certain time. Knowing which workout is required for your body at what time," he told the International Paralympic Committee in an earlier interview.

"I feel like the blades were consuming the power that I wanted to put into the javelin. Then, I switched to the normal foot. I think that this was great for me, because I listened to my body and what it actually needed, rather than watching videos of other para athletes."