Devendra Jhajharia’s story begins not on a track but in a tree in Churu, Rajasthan, where at age eight he lost part of his left arm after accidentally touching a live electric wire while climbing. That early accident shaped the arm he would go on to throw with for decades, turning an injury sustained in childhood into the foundation of a Paralympic career.
Jhajharia went on to compete in javelin throw in the F44/46 classification, winning Paralympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games. Twelve years later, he repeated the feat at the 2016 Rio Games, a result that made him the first Indian Paralympian to win two Paralympic gold medals. He added a silver medal in javelin F46 at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, extending a Paralympic record built across three Games.
His achievements on the field have been recognised through some of India’s highest civilian and sporting honours: the Arjuna Award in 2004, the Padma Shri in 2012, the Khel Ratna in 2017, and the Padma Bhushan in 2022. Since 9 March 2024, Jhajharia has served as President of the Paralympic Committee of India, a role that places him at the administrative helm of the movement he spent his competitive life representing.
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