Who Is Sachin Khilari? 34-Year-Old World Champion Who Won Paris Paralympics Silver In Men’s Shot Put

Paris: India’s Sachin Sarjerao Khilari on Wednesday added a Paralympic silver to his world title in men’s shot put F46 event with an Asian record distance of 16.32m at the ongoing Games. The 34-year-old Khilari achieved his best throw of the day in his second attempt to better his own earlier Asian record of 16.30m which he set while winning gold in the World Para-Athletics Championships in Japan in May.
Greg Stewart of Canada defended his Tokyo Paralympic gold with a throw of 16.38m. Luka Bakovic of Croatia took the bronze with 16.27m. Khilari’s silver is the 11th medal from para-athletics in the ongoing Games. He had also won a gold in last year’s Asian Para Games in China.
F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position. Khilari has an impaired left hand. Born to a farmer’s family, Sachin hails from Karagani village in Sangli district of Maharashtra and exemplifies that disability can be a gift rather than a hindrance. A tragic accident during school left him with a disability in his left hand.
Sachin got introduced to para Sports in 2015 and participated in Jaipur for the National Games in 2017 where he won the gold medal, later on he got introduced to coach Satayanarayana who supported him in improving his game and helped him to switch full time athlete by 2019.
Excelling in both sports and academics, Sachin has achieved notable success as a mechanical engineer. He also works as a visiting faculty member at various institutions, assisting students in their MPSC and UPSC exam preparations. Sachin has faced enormous challenges, including the loss of his mother at a young age and a crippling injury from a bicycle accident. Multiple surgeries failed to entirely repair his hand due to gangrene and muscle atrophy.
Despite these obstacles, Sachin’s father was an unflinching supporter, serving both parental roles for Sachin and his younger brother. Sachin, with his father’s encouragement, has accepted his impairment and excelled in both physical and academic pursuits.