India at the Paris Paralympics 2024 has performed extraordinarily bringing home a record-breaking 29 medals which is nearly five times the number of medals that has been won by the country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Among the shining stars, Pranav Soorma with his 34.59m throw won a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024 in the men’s club throw F51 final. Hailing from Faridabad, Pranav has overcome enormous incredible challenges to have achieved this pinnacle of success. At the age of just 16, a devastating accident involving a cement shed left him with severe spinal cord injuries impacting his functional movement.
However, his determination and resilience have propelled him to garner global recognition. Before the Para Olympic success, Pranav also won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games showcasing his exceptional talent and perseverance. NewsX exclusively spoke to Pranav Soorma on his thoughts about making a debut at the Paris Paralympics at 29, what his thought process and what are his plans for Los Angeles 2028 . Here are the excerpts:
Pranav Soorma: First Time Is Very Special For Anyone | NewsX Exclusive
When asked how does it feel after bagging a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024, Pranav Soorma, in an exclusive interview with NewsX shared, “It feels amazing because as you said this last year I won the Asian Para Games gold medal and it was my debut there, and it was my debut too at the Para Olympics and I believe the first time is a very special for anyone.”
Pranav continued, “Winning the medal for the country in the very first Paralympics that I participated in is a very special moment for me. I’m really happy and glad that I could dedicate this medal to my country India and the athletes have shown an exceptional performance in the two 2024 Paris Paralympics.” The para Olympian added that in the coming time we will be seeing some great talents.
View this post on Instagram
Pranav Soorma: We Worked On The Technical Glitches
While sharing his thoughts on how he prepared for the big game since it is imperative to right technique right exercises right nutrition and most importantly the right recovery and rest, Pranav asserted, “As an athlete we all make mistakes in competition and the best way to improve on our performance is to learn from those mistakes, so that is what we have done.”
He continued, “There were a few competitions that very didn’t perform that well or there was some technical glitches so we kept that in mind we worked on that and we tried that when I participate in the Para Olympics, we don’t make the same mistakes and we are able to perform at the highest performance peak that we have been working on.”
MUST READ: Paris Paralympics 2024 Ends with Spectacular Electro-Party
When asked how different he had to prepare for the Para Olympics, Pranav told NewsX, “When you compete at the Para Olympics at a global level you have more competitors since in the Asian games there are Asian level countries but in the Para Olympics, you have to compete against the best in the world. If you don’t stand out then there’s no chance you can win here so there’s a lot of uh preparation and changes that we have been making in our training we have been working more on the gym sessions and different exercises and different working on different throw techniques.”
Pranav Soorma also told us how he dealt with different climatic conditions revealing, “We adapt ourselves when the climate changes so we have been working
on a lot of things for the past uh 8 to 10 months and I’m really happy that things turned out well for us.”
Pranav Soorma : I Thought My Anxiety Might Hamper My Performance
Pranav also spilled the beans on how nervous he was for his big debut at the Paris Paralympics 2024 since it is such a huge platform and there is so much pressure. Recalling the anxious moment, Pranav told NewsX, “To be honest, I was very nervous and from what I have seen every athlete who competes at this highest level or is like achieving great things in life every athlete is nervous. They have anxiety and they are tensed about the competition no matter the achievements they have made the past but coming at this highest level of competition in the paralympics.”
He continued, “I think all the athletes are really nervous and I was too so I thought that uh nervousness or like anxiety that I have right now for the competition might hamper my performance uh might uh it it might bring my physical ability down so I tried to calm my mind. I did meditation, I did some breathing techniques and I told myself that we have worked really hard for this moment and I need my mind and my body to be completely calm and in completely sync with each other.”
Pranav further shared, “So that when uh I get the chance to make the throw my mind and my body are completely syn so that I can make the right techniques and I can show the best level of performance that we have been working on so I think I think uh it is uh but obvious that to be nervous but uh I think it should motivate you uh to uplift your performance rather than being demotivated by it well said uh this is something about preparing your mind and you know having that strategy but if there is a message that you would like to give to people who often get stuck in such situations and who are tackling these challenges.”
Pranav Soorma On Inspiring The New Generation
Pranav Soorma has inspired many with his win at the Para Olympics in Paris. Speaking of the future, Pranav stated, “I have been through a lot in life but each
and every time I try to overcome those situations and bring the best out of me.”
He contnued, “So, talking about Para sports, I started playing sports seeing someone else and I think that now we have one medal at such a big platform so they, will be buing athletes that the next generation that will be, you know, started getting more interested in these sports and start playing seeing us.” Pranav added, “I’m really overwhelmed when I see new athletes that tell me that we started playing because of you. I meet people who say that we didn’t give up on life because of you. you inspire us you motivate us so that really makes me emotional at that time and um yes like I said uh in the coming time like in the next four years there will be more medals in the par Olympics.”
He added, “India has immense amount of talent and this support from the government has been great now so in the coming time there will be more great athletes from India and it will definitely come in the top 10 in the coming time.”
Pranav Soorma Spills The Beans On His Future Plans
When asked what is the next thing that he is eyeing right now except 2028 Los Angeles, Pranav while talking about his plans, told NewsX, “We’ll be moving forward towards intensive training, working on different exercises that could help me better my performance in the coming time and we’ll be working on more nutrition and recovery. We’ve been thinking about what changes could we make now to uplift my performance and give better results at the international level so we’ve been working and planning those things out and in the coming time you’ll see the results.”
Check the full interview here:
ALSO READ: India Defeats China 3-0 In Asian Champions Trophy Opener
