Tokyo Paralympics: Blow for India, Vinod Kumar loses bronze medal in Discus Throw F52, rendered ineligible in classification

Tokyo Paralympics – Vinod Kumar loses bronze medal: In what could have been India’s best show at Paralympics, it suffered a blow when Vinod Kumar’s bronze medal was nullified and over ineligibility of classification. Vinod Kumar bagged a bronze in Men’s Discus Throw F52 on Sunday after finishing 3rd with a throw of 19.91m and set a new Asian record.

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However, the medal ceremony was postponed pending Vinod Kumar’s review. On Monday, he was rendered ineligible. This decision came after Vinod Kumar’s classification evaluation on Monday. The Indian had set a new Asian Record with an attempt of 19.91 in the final to win the bronze medal. But the organisers put the result under review later in the day after there was a protest. “Following classification Observation Assessment in competition and subsequent re-assessment by the classification panel, the panel was unable to allocate the athlete Vinod Kumar from NPC India with a sport class and the athlete was designated as Classification not Completed (CNC),” an official statement by organising committee read.

UPDATE: India’s Vinod Kumar has lost his Men’s F52 Discus Throw Bronze medal, after being categorized as ineligible in the disability classification assessment. His results in the event are now considered void. pic.twitter.com/T2iSLcTgXQ

— JSW Sports (@jswsports) August 30, 2021

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Vinod Kumar registered throws of 17.46m, 18.32m, 17.80m, 19.12m, 19.91m, and 19.81m in his six attempts. Poland’s Piotr Kosewicz won a gold medal as he registered the best throw of 20.02m in the second attempt while the silver was won by Croatia’s Velimir Sandor (19.98m). The discus thrower has lost his medal after the classification panel was unable to allocate the Indian athlete with a sport class on Monday. He is therefore ineligible for the Men’s F52 Discus medal event meaning his bronze on Sunday will not count. “The athlete is therefore ineligible for the Men’s F52 Discus medal event and his results in that competition are void,” the statement added.