With progressively deteriorating vision, Kapil Parmar makes the most of this time with a Paralympics judo bronze

The Parmar family from Sehore, Madhya Pradesh has known that with their son Kapil suffering from very low vision since an electricity line accident, his condition had been progressively deteriorating. And that there will come a day, when Kapil would lose his full vision.

But on Thursday evening they were full of hope. As the 24-year-old Kapil scored a 10-0 win over Elielton de Oliveira in the men’s judo J1 bronze medal playoff in the Paris Paralympics, his parents Ram Singh and Dhankunwar were watching the winning feat with pride. At their home near Bhopal Naka, Murali Road, it was time to celebrate.

“We all, including Kapil, know that his vision loss will only increase with time and one day, the loss will be 100 percent. As a family, we can support his dreams and see him winning medals for India and keep the moments in our mind to refresh these memories for him in the future. It’s just the start of a dream, which he knows that cannot be seen in the coming time, and we all want to cherish each moment of his feat,” said an emotional Ram Singh Parmar.

Kapil paaji tussi chha gaye! 💯🙌

Defeating WR 2 Elielton De Oliveira, Kapil Parmar secures India's first-ever Paralympic medal in Judo! 🔥
#ParalympicGamesParis2024 #ParalympicsOnJioCinema #JioCinemaSports #Judo pic.twitter.com/HrnycLbP4I

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) September 5, 2024

Middle sibling of an elder sister and brother, a young Parmar would be initiated into wrestling while visiting local akhadas with his father in his free time. It was in 2010 that Parmar suffered electrocution at their home managing the loose electricity wire connecting the water motor pump. The electrocution shock meant that he fell unconscious before he spent months in a coma at a hospital in Bhopal.

“Kapil always wanted to be a wrestler and whenever our father would take tourists for sightseeing, he would accompany him to the local akhadas. That night, he had gone to put the loose wire of the switch connected with the water motor pump and got the electrocution shock. He instantly fell unconscious and we took him to Chirayu Medical College hospital. He would spend more than six months in hospital in a coma and when he recovered, he wanted to practice a sport. But then there were no sports facilities suitable for the visually impaired here,” says brother Lalit.

It was in 2017 that Parmar would meet coaches Bhagwan Dass, secretary of Madhya Pradesh Blind Judo Association, and start practising in judo. With the low vision impairment, coaches struggled teaching him judo moves. “Our advantage was that he was a wrestler before the accident. Post the accident, he suffered weakness in the whole body as well as fingers of his right hand were bent. We also had to teach him judo positions and moves through signs and touching the body where the move would be made. He has also mastered the move Tomoe Nage and that’s what he showed in the bronze medal match,” says Das.

The Tomoe Nage is a sacrifice. The opponent’s balance forward or toward his front corner is disturbed, then he is dropped backward while placing your right foot on his lower abdomen, pushing him up and throwing him forward over your head.

Last year, Parmar finished 17th in World Para Championships in Baku before he won the silver in the men’s 60 Kg J1 final in Hangzhou Para Asian games.

It was in 2019 that Parmar would start training under para national coach Munawar Anzar at the national camp in Lucknow. “When he joined the national camp, he knew about various moves and we had to teach him the finishing moves through body movements. He has worked hard for this medal and to see him win this medal is a special feeling for all of us,” said the national coach while speaking with The Indian Express from Paris.

As for the Parmar family, they know how Kapil would celebrate his medal. “Kapil likes to celebrate his medals by having rice with jaggery and saunf and mishri,” says brother Lalit Parmar.

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