Sachin Sarjerao Khilari at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. PCI
A bicycle fall, a fracture that took time to heal which resulted in the onset of gangrene and restricted movement of his left hand. But Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, despite the physical setback, took up javelin while he was studying to become an engineer. A shoulder injury during competition forced him to switch to the shot put. On Wednesday, the 34-year-old defended his world title with a new Asian record in the men’s shot put F46 final in the World Para Athletics Championship at Kobe, Japan.
His gold medal, along with Dharambir’s bronze medal in the men’s club throw (F51 event) helped India better its previous best haul of 10 with 12 in the bag now.
On Wednesday, Khilari’s best throw of 16.30 m was better than Tokyo Paralympics champion Greg Stewart’s throw of 16.14 m. Current world record holder Joshua Cinnamo of USA finished fifth with a throw of 15.26 metres. “The weather was a bit cold here in Kobe so I had to adjust. I need to improve my right leg turn and have to work on my power position and that’s my target before the Paris Paralympics.” Khilari said.
Sachin Sarjerao Khilari after winning the gold medal in World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. PCI
Khilari is from Kargani in Atpadi Taluka in Sangli district, which is famous for pomegranate farming. His family owned 18-acres of land and Khilari grew up hearing stories of plants and soil from his agriculturist father Sarjerao Rangnath Khilari, a Maharashtra Krishi Bhushan awardee.
“My father was passionate about farming. He would share his views about different crops with me and my siblings. He told us about various food habits, especially about people abroad. I was fascinated by that,” Khilari said.
However, Khilari’s life took a turn for the worse when he fractured his left hand after falling from a cycle when he was nine-years-old.
Gangrene started spreading and though the arm was saved, there was restricted movement.
Instead of taking up farming, his father convinced him to appear for engineering exams. He got a degree in mechanical engineering after passing out of the Indira College of Engineering in Pune.
It was at Pune that Khilari first saw an athletics track at Azam Campus. He started training under coach Arvind Chavan and took up discus and javelin.
Sachin Sarjerao Khilari after winning the gold medal in World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. PCI
A 60 metre throw in javelin throw in the Inter-University State Athletics Championship was his only gold medal before he took a break from the sport for four years. “I competed against able bodied athletes and would watch their javelin techniques. In 2013, I started preparing for UPSC and Maharashtra State exams. It was then that I read about the then world para champion Devendra Jhajharia and was inspired to compete in para sports,” Khilari said.
Staying at a rented place in Pune, Khilari started competing in the javelin throw (F 46 category) meant for those with moderately affected movement in one or both arms or the absence of limbs. While he won the gold in Jaipur Nationals in 2017 with a throw of 58.47 m, the para athlete had to face another test. “In 2013, 2015 and 2016, Maharashtra faced extreme drought and when I decided to compete in para events in 2016, I also had to worry about money as the income from the farmland was almost nil. I would practice for two hours in the morning and teach aspiring UPSC students Geography for six hours in a day,” Khilari said.
A shoulder injury after he won the gold medal in Para Nationals in Delhi in 2019 meant that Khilari had to stop competing in javelin throw. It was after a phone call from national coach Satya Narayana that Khilari opted for a shot put.
“Competing in javelin throw and discus throw meant that Sachin had the strength. But shifting to shotput meant that he did not have the option of using his left hand as a block before the throw. So we concentrated on getting his shoulder and chest muscles stronger. He also would do snatch and bench press with the use of right hand only to gain muscle strength. He was natural with the glide and we had to work on his spinning motion in rotational technique,” coach Chavan said.
Last year, Khilari won his first world para title with a new Asian record throw of 16.21m in Paris. He followed that with the title in Hangzhou Asian Para Games with a throw of 16.03 m.
The para athlete is also a fan of two-time Olympic champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser and also wants to take some tips from Asian games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor. “I like to watch Crouser’s step across method and the kind of perfection he has. The way he used additional rotation to add to his power is something we all aspire,” Khilari said.
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