CHENNAI: Kapil Parmar was only 15 when he got electrocuted while switching on a water pump in his village, Murli, Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh. Such was the impact of the electrocution that a few fingers of both his hands got stuck with each other. It also affected his retinas partially (40 per cent) but as he aged Kapil lost 80 per cent vision.
The tragedy, however, couldn't dampen his spirits as he found solace in judo for the visually impaired. But it was not easy as his father Ram Singh Parmar, who was a taxi driver, was forced to give up his job due to a kidney infection making Kapil and his elder brother Lalit start a tea kiosk on the Bhopal highway in 2019. Despite obstacles and financial constraints, Kapil didn't give up judo. It paid rich dividends as on Thursday, 24-year-old Kapil became the country's first-ever Paralympic medallist in judo, winning a bronze in the men's -60kg (J1) after convincingly defeating Brazil's Elielton de Oliveira in the play-off in Paris.
The J1 class in para judo is for athletes who suffer from no to very low visual activity. Athletes in this category wear red circles to indicate that they may need guided support before, during and after a contest.
Kapil was the favourite to win gold but he lost his semifinal bout against Seyed Meysam Banitaba Khorram Abadi of Iran 0-10. Earlier, he had defeated Marcos Dennis Blanco of Venezuela 10-0 in the quarterfinal. In his both wins, Kapil took down his respective opponents with an 'Ippon'.
Ippon is a move in which a contestant throws his opponent on the mat with considerable force and speed so that the opponent lands on his back. An ippon is also awarded when a contestant immobilizes his opponent with a grappling hold-down for 20 seconds, or when an opponent gives up.
Kapil spoke to his family soon after finishing on the podium. He might have created history but the judoka was not happy given his loss in the semifinal. "He wanted to win the gold but lost the semifinal against the Iranian judoka," Rani Parmar, Kapil's elder sister, told this daily.
Kapil had lost the gold medal match against the Iranian opponent at the Para Asian Games last year. "Kapil has lost against the Iranian judoka in the past as well and that might have affected his performance in the semifinal. But we all are happy that he has won laurels for the country and created history," added Rani.
In judo for the visually impaired, coaches play an important role as they are allowed to instruct their wards from outside during the bouts. Coach Munawar Anzar Ali Siddiqui spoke to this daily before the duo departed for the Paralympics and exuded confidence in his ward. "We have been together for years now and built a rapport which comes in handy during the bouts. We talk in Hindi which gives us an edge over opponents especially those who communicate in English. We can understand what they say but they cannot get our next move due to the language barrier," Anzar had told this daily.
Speaking on the difficulties faced by the judoka, the sister said elder brother Lalit not only ran the tea stall to support the family but also became sparring partner of Kapil. "It would not have been possible without the support of Lalit as he doubled up as his sparring partner to make sure Kapil gets trained even at home. Then his coaches from Bhopal and Lucknow played their part to make sure Kapil remained motivated," said Rani.
Apart from silver in the 2022 Para Asian Games, Kapil had clinched a gold medal each in the 2019 Commonwealth Championships, 2024 IBSA Judo Grand Prix in Antalya, 2024 IBSA Judo Grand Prix in Tbilisi and 2023 IBSA Judo Grand Prix in Alexandria. He had also a bronze medal in the 2023 IBSA World Games.