Rinku Hooda, Jayanti Behera, Aamit Kumar clinch medals at Para Athletics Junior World Championship

The Para Athletics Junior World Championships have concluded at Nottwil in Switzerland. This year nearly 145 Indians participated; of these, Rinku Hooda, Jayanti Behera, and Aamit Kumar, won hearts by putting up a remarkable performance.

18-year old Rinku Hooda, clinched the silver medal in the F46 javelin throw after he threw the javelin from a distance of 54.92m. Hailing from Rohtak, Haryana, Hooda had lost his left arm in an accident when he was a child. Braving all odds, Hooda had participated in the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro where he had finished fifth in the javelin throw. In July, he had also taken part in the IPC World Para Athletics Championship in London where he secured fourth place.

Jayanti Behera won the gold medal in the 400m race and the silver medal in the 200m feat after clocking a timing of 1:01 minutes and 28.04 seconds respectively. Behera had also been a finalist at the IPC World Para Athletics Championship in London last month. Born in an underprivileged household in Odisha, Behera had suffered a severe fire injury to her waist and left arm when she was just a year old. However, the 17-year old is a powerhouse of potential and trains under her coach, Bishnu Prasad Mehra, aiming for higher goals.

Sprinter Aamit Kumar also bagged two medals, coveting the gold in the 200m race and silver in the 400m contest with a timing of 23.23 seconds and 51.26 seconds respectively.