 Devendra Jhajharia with his gold medal from the 2016 Summer Paralympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | (1981-06-10)10 June 1981 (age 44) |
| President ofParalympic Committee of India | |
| Assumed office 9 March 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Deepa Malik |
| Sport | |
| Country |  India |
| Sport | Para-Athletics |
Event | F46 Javelin |
| Coached by | Sunil Tanwar |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Paralympic finals | 200420162020 |
Devendra Jhajharia (born 10 June 1981) is an IndianParalympicjavelin thrower competing inF46 events. He is the first IndianParalympics player to win two gold medals at theParalympics. He won his first gold in the javelin throw at the2004 Summer Paralympics inAthens, becoming the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country.[1] At the2016 Summer Paralympics inRio de Janeiro, he won a second gold medal in the same event, bettering his previous record.[2] Devendra is currently being supported by theOlympic Gold Quest.[3] He becomes India's most decorated Paralympic player by winning his third medal, a silver at the2020 Summer Paralympics atTokyo. In 2024, he was elected president of the Paralympic Committee of India.[4]
Jhajharia was born on 10 June 1981, inChuru, Rajasthan.[5] At the age of eight, climbing a tree he touched a live electric cable. He received medical attention but the doctors were forced to amputate his left hand.[6][7] In 1997 he was spotted by Dronacharya Awardee coachR. D. Singh while competing at a school sports day, and from that point was coached by Singh. He gave credit to his personal coachR. D. Singh for 2004 Paralympic Gold Medal, saying: "He gives me a lot of advice and helps me during training."[8][9]
He has been coached by Sunil Tanwar since 2015.[10]
In 2002 Jhajharia won the gold medal in the 8th FESPIC Games inSouth Korea. In 2004 Jhajharia qualified for his first Summer Paralaympic Games representing India at Athens. At the games he set a new world record with a distance of 62.15m eclipsing the old one of 59.77m. The throw gave him the gold medal and he became only the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country (India's first gold medal came fromMurlikant Petkar).[11]
Further athletic success came in 2013 at theIPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France when he took the gold medal in the F46 javelin throw. He followed this with a silver medal at the2014 Asian Para Games at Incheon in South Korea. At the2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, despite throwing 59.06, Jhajharia could only finish in second place, claiming silver behind China'sGuo Chunliang, who threw a championship record distance.
In 2016, he won a gold medal at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championship in Dubai. At the2016 Summer Paralympics inRio de Janeiro, he won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F46 event, bettering his own 2004 record with a world-record throw of 63.97 metres.[2]
On 30 August 2021, Jhajharia won silver medal in the men's javelin throw F46 event at Tokyo Paralympics 2020[12] along withSundar Singh Gurjar (bronze medal at the same event).
A formerIndian Railways employee, Jhajharia is currently employed with theRajasthan Forest Department. His wife, Manju, is a former nationally rankedkabaddi player; the couple has two children, Jiya and Kavyan.[13][14]
Devendra Jhajharia was brought up by Jevani Devi and Ram Singh Jhajharia[15]
On 2 March 2024, he was announced as theBJP candidate for the2024 Indian general election from theChuru constituency in Rajasthan.
 Gold medalists |
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 Silver medalists |
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 Bronze medalists |
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