Amit Kumar Kumar

Started: He took up Para athletics in 2009 in India. (Athlete, 23 Oct 2015) Reason: He played non-Para hockey before sustaining his impairment. He became involved with Para sport after meeting US filmmaker Jonathan Sigworth, who came to India to promote Para sport. He first tried wheelchair rugby before getting involved in athletics in 2009. He enjoyed the individual nature of the sport. "I loved rugby, but the overall performance depends on the team." (sportskeeda.com, 22 Aug 2021; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 01 Jul 2019; tehelka.com, 16 Jun 2012) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 16 Aug 2024) Awards: In 2014 he was presented with the Bheem Award for Excellence in Sports by the government of Haryana in India. (Facebook page, 01 Sep 2015; thesalute.in, 29 Oct 2014) In 2013 he received the Arjuna Award from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India. (indusind.com, 24 Jun 2018) Additional Info: COMIC STAR In 2020 he was one of four Indian athletes to have their sporting career depicted in a series of graphic comics produced by the GoSports Foundation in India. He featured alongside badminton player Kidambi Srikanth, table tennis player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and gymnast Dipa Karmakar. The comics were intended to celebrate the athletes' achievements and grow their profiles. "All athletes go through a lot of struggle and publishing it in this way will help spread the word to a wider audience. GoSports Foundation has done something truly unique and we are all pleasantly surprised that our achievements have been highlighted in this wonderful new way. This will be motivational for everyone, children as well as emerging Para athletes. For kids particularly, this is a great mix of entertainment and inspiration." (thebridge.in, 17 Sep 2020)