Tokyo Paralympics: Mariyappan Thangavelu, Sharad Kumar win silver and bronze in high jump
Tokyo, Aug 31: Defending champion Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar won a silver and bronze respectively in the men's high jump T42 event as India's medal tally at the Paralympics touched an unprecedented 10 on Tuesday.
Mariyappan cleared 1.86m while the American gold winner Sam Grewe succeeded in soaring above 1.88m in his third attempt.
Kumar took the bronze with an effort of 1.83.
The third Indian in the fray and 2016 Rio Paralympics bronze winner, Varun Singh Bhati ended seventh out of nine competitors as he failed to clear 1.77m.
The T42 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs. The athletes compete in a standing position.
Earlier in the day, shooter Singhraj Adana fetched a bronze in the men's 10mair pistol SH1 event.
India have so far won two gold, five silver and three bronze medals.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
8 cheetahs from Africa to arrive at MP's Kuno National Park on Saturday
Sheopur (MP) (PTI): Eight more cheetahs will be airlifted from Africa and brought to Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday morning, an official said on Friday.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav will release the big cats into enclosures readied at the park under the ongoing cheetah revival programme in India via intercontinental translocations, he added.
The batch from Botswana, comprising six females and two males, will fly to Gwalior between 9 pm and 10 pm on an Indian Air Force aircraft, Cheetah Project Director Uttam Sharma told PTI.
ALSO READ: Physiotherapist from Assam found dead near his rented house in Odisha’s Cuttack district
From Gwalior, two IAF helicopters will transport the cheetahs to Kuno National Park, where they are expected to arrive between 9 am and 10 am on Saturday. The flight duration from Botswana to Gwalior will be around nine to 10 hours, he said.
This will be the third batch of cheetahs arriving from Africa, following earlier introductions from Namibia and South Africa, he added.
With this, the number of cheetahs in India will rise to 46.
Sharma said enclosures have been prepared at the park, where the cheetahs will remain in quarantine for about a month.
The park has five helipads to facilitate their safe landing, he added.
Like the last time, the IAF will assist the cheetah revival programme by bringing them from Africa, just as it did when transporting the cursorial animal from SA in February 2023, Sharma said.
Earlier, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia to Gwalior on a private jet in September 2022, after which IAF helicopters transported them to the park, he said.
"The arrival of more cheetahs will strengthen India's cheetah revival programme. With the support of the central government, we aim to increase the population to 50 as soon as possible," Sharma said.
Three big cats were later relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, while 35 remain at Kuno National Park, he said.
According to officials, endangered animals are not kept in a single habitat due to the risk of disease outbreaks that can wipe out their entire population at one go.
The cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, became extinct in India nearly seven decades ago.
Last year, India saw the birth of 12 cubs, though six, including three cubs, did not survive. This year, between February 7 and February 18, eight cubs were born in two litters.
In all, 39 cubs have been born at KNP since 2023, of which 27 have survived.
Namibia-born Jwala and Aasha, South Africa-born Gamini, Veera and Nirva, and India-born Mukhi have all produced litters at KNP, officials said.
Three cheetahs have been moved to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district, while 35 remain at KNP, they added.
