Gandhinagar: Discus thrower Sagar Thayat started as an able-bodied athlete, but an accident in 2012 left both his ankles seriously damaged and turned his life upside down. Para Discus thrower Thayat will be representing India in the F43/44 categories at the Commonwealth Games 2026, which will be played in Glasgow, Scotland, from Thursday till August 2.
“I was in Dehradun Sports College, adjoining the Army firing ranges, and someone by mistake threw a mortar in the hostel. After that, I was in hospital for two and a half years. I had to undergo more than 20 surgeries during that time; I had to drop out of school and rejoined school in 2015. After that, my recovery took 5-6 years,” the 26-year-old recalled the ordeal he went through due to the freak accident in an interaction with SAI Media.
Sagar, who hails from Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, spoke about how he was inspired to take up para-athletics after reading about Devendra Jhajharia, the first Indian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics.
“In 2019, I got to know about Para sports after reading about Devendra Jhajharia sir in the newspapers; later, when I was selected in the NCoE, Gandhinagar, I got an opportunity to train with him,” he was quoted as saying.
Sagar started as a shot put athlete and later switched to discus with the Paralympics in mind. “In 2019, I took part in the Para athletics nationals. I competed in shot put; I was a junior then but won a silver medal in the senior category. I was selected to represent India at the Para athletics Junior World Championship in Switzerland, where I won gold in Shot put, while in discus I was in fourth place. All medal winners were directly selected for the Khelo India scheme, so I got admission in the NCoE, Gandhinagar, where my coach Madhu Kumar sir and Coach Sunil advised me to make a switch to discus as shot put is not part of the Paralympics,” he explained.
Sagar, who represents Uttar Pradesh in the nationals, has emerged as a very promising para athlete having won a Gold medal at the Dubai Para Athletics Grand Prix (2025), another Gold at the Indian Open Para Athletics International Championships (2026) and a Bronze at the Tunisia Para Athletics Grand Prix (2023).
He has registered his competition-best throw of 51.93 meters at the World Para Athletics 2025 and hopes to top that during the CWG. “In training, I have thrown up to 55- 56 meters. I am confident that I can do better than 51.93 m”.
The 26-year-old, who represents Uttar Pradesh in the nationals, spoke about his time in the SAI, NCoE, Gandhinagar. “My training started in earnest at the NCoE; it is a fabulous facility offering very good coaching and all necessary facilities. It is the premier facility for para athletes in India, and is very disabled friendly.”
He picks his coach, Madhu Kumar, as his role model. “I never told him (Madhu Kumar) that he is my idol; he is a very good coach. He is able to explain his point very well, even suggest improvements in a very affectionate manner, just like an elder brother. He advises us not to get stressed by the situation; just implement what we have learnt in training over the years. He tells us not to try anything different during competition, just stick to the training.”
Sagar, who is pursuing BA through open learning, thanked his family for all the support during his injury days. “People at home have always been very supportive, be it my tauji(uncle), aunts, father, and everybody; they never insisted on me getting a job and supported me when I decided to pursue my passion.”
(IANS)
