India’s Bhagyashri Jadhav finished fifth in the women’s shot put (F34) at the Paralympics on Tuesday. Jadhav, making her second appearance at the Paralympics, produced a throw of 7.28m but it was not enough for a podium finish. China’s Lijuan Zou won the gold with a season best of 9.14m while Poland’s Lucyna Kornobys secured the silver with an effort of 8.33m. The 39-year-old Indian hails from Nanded district in Maharashtra. She slipped into depression after losing the use of her legs due to an accident in 2006.
With encouragement from friends and family, she took to para sport.
Athletes in the F34 class have to deal with co-ordination impairments including hypertonia (stiff muscles), ataxia (poor muscle control) and athetosis (slow, writhing movement of the limbs or trunk).
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