Mariyappan Thangavelu born on 1995-06-28 in , India.
Education : Business Administration – AVS College of Arts And Science, India
Language Spoken : English, Tamil
Coach :
He got into athletics while he was at school in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. (Athlete, 26 Apr 2016)
Reason: His physical education teacher encouraged him to take up the sport. (Athlete, 26 Apr 2016)
Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (olympics.com, 01 Sep 2021)
Milestones: He became the first high jumper representing India to win gold at the Paralympic Games when he triumphed in the T42 category at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Jul 2017; sportskeeda.com, 10 Sep 2016)
Training:
Influence: His family. (Athlete, 26 Apr 2016)
Philosophy: “Try and try again, you will succeed in the end.” (Athlete, 26 Apr 2016)
Award: In 2020 he was presented with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India. The award is the highest sporting honour in India. (hindustantimes.com, 05 Sep 2020)
He was flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia. (sportstar.thehindu.com, 02 Oct 2018)
In 2017 he was presented with the Padma Shri Award, India’s fourth highest national civilian honour, and the Arjuna Award, the second-highest sports honour in the country. (paralympic.org, 03 Jul 2017; olympics.com, 01 Sep 2021)
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paralympic Games | ||||
| 1 | Men’s High Jump T42 | 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, BRA | 1.89 |
| 2 | High Jump – T63 | 2020 | Tokyo, JPN | 1.86 |
| World Championships | ||||
| 1 | High Jump – T63 | 2024 | Kobe, JPN | 1.88 |
| 3 | High Jump – T63 | 2019 | Dubai, UAE | 1.80 |
| 4 | High Jump – T63 | 2023 | Paris, FRA | 1.80 |
| Asian Para Games | ||||
| 2 | High Jump – T63 | 2022 | Hangzhou, CHN | 1.80 |
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