Darshana Devi nonetheless remembers January 21, 2009, the day her son Rakesh Kumar met with a automotive accident whereas coming back from Jammu to their village Natali close to the temple city of Katra. The accident resulted in Kumar being paralysed from waist down and he would spend months in restoration as he made sense of the setback.
On Monday, because the 39-year-old archer and compatriot Sheetal Devi received the bronze medal within the combined crew compound occasion with a 156-155 win over Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina of Italy on the Paris Paralympics, Darshana couldn’t maintain her feelings again.
“Rakesh had gone to fulfill his aunt at village Bantalab close to Jammu and on his return, the shared cab met with an accident. He suffered spinal wire accidents. From Jammu hospital, he was taken to Amritsar the place medical doctors carried out a surgical procedure. It was a troublesome time for the entire household however this Paralympics medal has given the most important pleasure to us,” she informed The Indian Categorical.
Previous to the accident, the then 24-year-old labored as a plumber within the village whereas helping father Pritam Chand in his carpentry work. After the mishap, Kumar was bedridden for greater than a yr earlier than the household acquired a second-hand wheelchair to help him in his day by day chores. With their village situated close to Katra railway station, the bottom city for pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine, the household arrange a cellular sim store for Kumar.
“He by no means complained about what had occurred to him, and wished to start out incomes once more. We rented a small store reverse our dwelling on the principle highway the place he bought cellular sim playing cards and different small stuff to earn some cash,” remembers Devi.
It was in 2016 that archery coach Kuldip Vedwan, on his method to close by Jammu, noticed Kumar managing his store on the freeway and approached him to strive his palms at archery. With the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board operating a sports activities complicated within the temple city, Kumar was one of many early trainees on the sprawling campus. A ninth-place end on the 2018 Nove Mesto Para Archery match in Czech Republic, the place he additionally received the crew silver together with Shyam Sundar and Tarif, was adopted by his maiden look on the Para Asian Video games in Jakarta, the place he completed ninth within the particular person occasion.
Kumar would pair up with Jyoti to complete sixth within the combined crew occasion on the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 other than a sixth place in particular person occasion.
“Initially, he would handle the store and prepare for greater than six hours a day as he was unsure whether or not the game may assist him earn a residing. However as his curiosity grew, he would spend his time on the archery vary from 7 am to 7pm. His brother Deep Kumar, who operates a taxi, additionally helped him with cash. When he would journey from the village to the sports activities complicated on a scooter that he modified to journey along with his equipment, some folks would snigger at him however his medals are the most important reply,” says Devi.
Final yr, Kumar paired up with Sheetal Devi to win the combined crew gold on the Hangzhou Asian Video games other than successful a silver every within the males’s particular person and crew occasions.
Final yr, Kumar was appointed assistant coach by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
“Rakesh bhaiyya’s will energy is his largest power. Whereas Kuldeep sir labored on his fundamentals first, he all the time understood the significance of being bodily match. Earlier than beginning coaching at 7am, he would run the wheelchair on the highway for 2-3 km other than lifting weights and stretching with thyro bands for strengthening his shoulder muscle mass,” says Amit Thakur, a Khelo India silver medallist archer and trainee on the complicated.
Kumar is constructing a brand new home close to their previous one within the village. “His father died two years in the past. He would have been the happiest to see him successful medals for India,” shared the proud mom.