As a Class 6 student in school, a normal day quickly turned into a nightmare for Jadhav as he accidentally came in contact with a loose electric wire. Following the treatment, it was later clear that the child would be losing both his hands in the accident.With a qualifying time of 32.64 seconds, Suyash Narayan Jadhav is the only para-swimmer to meet the A qualification mark of the Rio Paralympics. The 22-year old resident of Maharashtra never really expected to shoot into the limelight especially after going through a harrowing accident.
The double amputee has hands that are cut short right below the elbow. Fifteen years later to that day, Suyash became the first and only Indian to qualify for the prestige of representing his country at the biggest international stage for para-sports.
Swimming had always been his passion as he comes from a family of brilliant, award-winning swimmers. His father was a national level swimmer back in the day and for as long as the veteran can remember, he has wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and better his own achievements.
For his part, Suyash took up swimming from a very young age and it took extreme determination and passion in ensuring that he did not give up his pursuit of the sport even in the wake of his unfortunate accident.
More than anything, this proves the love and dedication Suyash carries when it comes to achieving excellence as a swimmer.
He truly is an example of an inspirational individual. Training at the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune, Suyash first came to the forefront after he won a silver and a bronze medal in the World Games held at Sochi in 2015. He is currently being supported by the GoSports foundation.
With the support of the Para Champion Program program, which is an initiative by the IndusInd Bank, Jadhav got the financial support and training to make it to the Paralympics. He was selected as one of the para-athletes in this program following his qualification for the Rio Paralympics.
Apart from this, 4 players of the athletics contingent will also feature today in their respective events. Javelin Thrower Sandeep will be participating in the F44 category in his event. Furthermore, the day will be a historical one for the country as for the first time, India will be participating in an international compettition where the top three ranked athletes belong to the country. This should be a moment of immense pride for the nation. Sharad Kumar, Varun Singh Bhati and Mariyappan Thangavelu will be participating in the final of the T42 Event in High Jump during the later part of the day.
