Father left him helpless, mother raised her stomach by carrying bricks, foot crushed by a bus, the only Indian to do this in Paralympics

It is said that a person who has his father's support has nothing to worry about. But Mariyappan Thengavelu's story is different. It is said that his father left him. He left his siblings. He left his mother. He left everyone helpless. Now the family had to be fed, so his mother started working as a daily wage laborer, which was the job of carrying bricks. His mother used to get 100 rupees every day for carrying bricks, and the whole family lived on that. This continued until his mother opened her vegetable shop.

However, just as there is light after every darkness, a similar light was seen in the life of Indian para-athlete Mariyappan Thengavelu. This light came due to Mariyappan's success in sports. This light came due to Mariyappan's strong determination, due to which he never considered himself helpless. When Mariyappan was 5 years old, a storm came into his life. While going to school, a drunk driver ran the bus over his leg. He lost his right leg in this accident. But whatever the world thought, Mariyappan did not care about it. He never considered himself different from other children.

The position he is in today is the result of his positive thinking. Mariyappan is the only Indian athlete who has won 3 consecutive medals in the Paralympics. He achieved this feat by winning gold in Rio 2016, silver in Tokyo 2020, and bronze in Paris 2024. In all three Paralympics, Mariyappan won the medal in the men's high jump T63 event. In the Paris Paralympics, he won bronze by jumping 1.85 meters.

Mariyappan's mother has a major contribution to his success. He remembers the struggle his mother went through to make him big and capable. This is why he used the prize money he received after the Rio and Tokyo Paralympics to buy some land for his mother to do farming so that the family's life could be better. He also built a good house for the family.

Mariyappan, who has received major honors like Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, and Padmashree, is a graduate of Business Administration.