Paris: A quadriplegic who feels that the accident which left him wheelchair-bound was a "blessing in disguise". Pranav Soorma quite lives up to his last name which will now get it's fair share of fame after a silver medal on debut at the Paralympic Games.
He claimed the podium finish in the club throw event, the para equivalent of hammer throw, here on Wednesday with compatriot Dharambir shattering the Asian record to win the gold medal.
Soorma was just 16 when a cement sheet fell on him leaving his spinal cord severely damaged causing loss of movement in his legs and hands. Even gripping the wooden club is a massive task for him and he has to use glue to hold it and compete in the event.
"We have worked day and night for this moment because seeing the medical condition, there are a lot of things that are going on and regular training and exercises are a very big challenge in our medical condition," Soorma said after his inspiring performance of 34.59m in the finals.
The Faridabad-lad, who is a commerce pass-out from the prestigious Delhi Scool of Economics, is also an assistant manager with a nationalised bank.
He said given his physical condition life "in itself is a very big challenge".
"So, overcoming that and looking for the right exercises, right recovery, right nutrition... all of that together plays a major role in making an athlete. So, we have overcome all those challenges and won glory," Soorma said.
"As you know, we play in the F51 category, which is the most severe disability in the Para games. We don't have grip in our fingers, so we use a sticky glue kind of a thing to grip our equipment, that is the wooden club and make a throw," Soorma explained.
The thrower said the glue becomes a challenge depending on weather conditions.
"....in extreme heat, the gum becomes loose, when it's extreme cold, the gum gets hard and when it's rainy it becomes slippery.
"So we need to adapt to that and make the best possible attempt. I think, the gum didn't work the way I wanted it to work but we somehow managed to make the best possible attempt we made," added Soorma.
Soorma's success is also a result of his father Sanjeev's perseverance. Sanjeev quit his job to become Soorma's attendant as the family did not have the resources hire one.
This is his second big medal following the gold at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year.
"...coming here and winning a medal in the first game has put me on cloud nine. I'm really happy that I worked hard for this and I qualified for it and now our hard work has paid off," he said.
Virat Kohli my role model
If there is an athlete that Soorma admires, it is batting stalwart Virat Kohli for his work ethic.
"I have been a (Michael) Jordan (NBA all-time great) fan for a very long time. If I talk about the biggest role model in sports, I think it's Virat Kohli for me.
"He too has seen ups and downs in his sports career, so he worked on that, he took his time and eventually came out stronger and better than anyone.
"So he is the top athlete in the world and I consider him a role model for myself," he added.