Mariyappan Thangavelu wins Paralympic high jump gold
Mariyappan Thangavelu from Salem district won the T-42 high jump gold at the Rio Paralympics with a jump of 1.89 m.
Mariyappan Thangavelu was born in Periavadagampatti village in Salem district, one of six children; at the age of five his right leg was permanently disabled when he was run over by a bus. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics with a jump of 1.78 m at a Grand Prix in Tunisia. At Rio de Janeiro in September 2016 he won the gold medal in the men's T-42 high jump with 1.89 m. He went on to win silver at Tokyo 2020 and bronze at Paris 2024, becoming a triple Paralympic medallist.
