Polish javelin thrower Maria Andrejczyk auctioned her Tokyo Olympics silver medal for $ 125,000 to help heart surgery for an eight-month-old baby in her home country. Poland abka Polska's convenience story company bought Andrejczyk’s silver medal for $ 125,000 and after winning the bidding war, she asked the javelin star to keep her medal. The baby will now undergo surgery at Stanford University. Maria Andrejczyk won silver with a 64.61-meter throw, while Australian Kelsey Lee Barber took bronze with a record of 64.56, her best performance this season. She was behind China's Liu Shiying, who won the gold medal after throwing 66.34 meters. Andrejczyk, who finished fourth at the 2016 Olympics and the favorite after reaching the world-leading 71.40m in May, struggled to find that form.The Polish Javelin star has opened up about his decision to auction his medal, saying it didn't take long to make his decision because he wanted to help him by auctioning off his prized possession. "It was the first fundraiser I ever participated in and I knew he was the right person," she wrote on her Facebook page on August 11 in her native language. This fundraiser for a Polish boy named Miloszek. He has a serious heart defect and needs surgery. "He already has a head start from Kubus — a boy who didn’t make it in time but whose amazing parents decided to pass on the funds they collected," she wrote on social mediaAlso Read- Five reasons why online games are so popular in India
Sumit Antil, who has participated in able-bodied events including the Indian Grand Prix, said his goal is to qualify for both the Paralympic Games and the Olympics in 2024 and he will begin his training once he returns to India. Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antel now wants to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Paris Olympics three years from now. The 23-year-old from Sonipat shown his impressive performance on Monday when he broke his own world record not once but five times to take gold in the men's F64 javelin with a throw of 68.55 meters. Antel, who has participated in able-bodied events including the Indian Grand Prix, said his goal is to qualify for both the Paralympic Games and the Olympics in 2024 and will begin his training once he returns to the country. During my training, I have been touching the 70m-mark. And I dream of throwing between 75 to 80m and that should be enough to compete amongst the able-bodied athletes. “I wish to take part in both the Olympics and Paralympics. That’s my dream,” Antil, who lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015, said in a release issued by Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). “Once I return from Tokyo, I will be training for that for sure,” he added. If Sumit is allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he will compete against countryman Neeraj Chopra, who recently won gold medal in men's javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics. Interestingly, as the son of a JWO officer in the Indian Army, Antel competed against Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the able-bodied 3rd series of the Indian Grand Prix on March 5 at Patiala, where he finished seventh with a best throw of 66.43 meters. On Tuesday, Antel broke the previous world record of 62.88 meters, which is also set by him, five times a day. His last throw was a foul. His series read 66.95, 68.08, 65.27, 66.71, 68.55 and foul.Also Read- Shooter Avani Lekhara First Indian Woman To Win Gold At Paralympics"At the 2019 World Para-Athletics Championships, I settled for silver. I always wanted to win the gold medal," said Antel, who was inspired by Neeraj Chopra medal show. "My coach told me to be aggressive at the Paralympic Games. I'm glad I was able to finally come out with a good performance and inspire the upcoming generation." It was very hot and humid that day in Tokyo, but Antil never looked bothered. "During the pandemic, I got special permission from the Sports Authority of India to train at home. I was prepared for all conditions - hot and humid. I trained late at night and this paid off well," said Antel, who hails from Sonepat. The Haryana athlete now hopes that Paralympic gold will give him a job once he returns to India. "Currently, I am unemployed and I am doing full-time training but I hope to get a job after this. Let's see what happens when I return to India," he signed off.Also Read- US Open 2021: Naomi Osaka kicks off title defence with straight sets win over Marie Bouzkova
