BENGALURU: Subedar Anandan Gunasekaran, para athlete of Madras Sappers, qualified for 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games after winning gold in the 200m event at Wuhan, China, recently at Handisport Open Paris 2019 (Olympic Qualify Round).
He also won gold medals in 7th Military Wold Games 2019 held at Wuhan, China, in 100m, 200m and 400m events.
Anandan had suffered a mine blast injury in 2008, resulting in amputation below left knee. Following this, he began competing at various events with the help of an artificial leg. He was sponsored by Madras Engineering Group and Centre for running blade.
He is said to have carved his name as the first Indian para-athlete in T-44 category to bag a medal for the Army in the World Para Military Games and to break the Asian record.
He participated in IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Tunisia in 2014, where he won gold in 200m.