Italian Tamil smashes world record three times to take gold at Paralympics

Paralympic athlete Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy won gold in Paris on Sunday evening, in an unforgettable night where he smashed the world record for the F52 discus throw three times on his way to victory.

Paralympic athlete Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy won gold in Paris on Sunday evening, in an unforgettable night where he smashed the world record for the F52 discus throw three times on his way to victory.

Competing at the Stade de France, he delivered a remarkable performance, initially breaking the world record with a throw of 25.48 meters on his second attempt. Shortly after, he surpassed his own record with a throw of 25.80 meters. The crowd was thrilled, but Ganeshamoorthy was not done yet. He went on to throw an impressive 27.06 meters, achieving his third consecutive world record in the event and securing the gold medal for Italy.

Ganeshamoorthy was born in Rome in 1999 to Eelam Tamil parents. At eighteen, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition characterized by muscle weakness and sensory changes in the legs and arms. His condition worsened in 2019 after a fall, leading to hospitalization at Santa Lucia Hospital in Rome.

Initially he picked up wheelchair basketball, before moving on to field events. In 2023, he became the Italian Paralympic champion in the shot put F55 and discus throw F54-55 categories.

Just a year later, Ganeshamoorthy made his debut at the Paralympic Games – only his third international competition – and captured gold with an outstanding performance.

His post-victory interview with Italian reporters was shared widely across social media, as Ganeshamoorthy paid tribute to his family and “all the other disabled people who are at home”.

"Che devo di'? Dedico la vittoria a mia madre, a Roma, ar decimo municipio. Domani se vedemo. Questo è per tutta la nazione italiana e per i disabili a casa" Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy vince l'oro superando il record per 3 volte e regalandoci l'intervista più bella e divertente pic.twitter.com/hW2ssuTFsw

— Il Grande Flagello (@grande_flagello) September 1, 2024

In the coming days, he will also compete in the javelin throw, hoping to add another medal to his achievements.