Who is para high jump athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu, biography, age, disability, state, record and net worth

Mariyappan Thangavelu is an Indian paralympic who recently won the bronze medal in high jump at the Paris 2024 Olympics, find out more about him, his disability and net worth

Thangavelu came in at third behind fellow compatriot Sharad Kumar, and narrowly beat out another compatriot Shailesh Kumar.

Who is para high jump athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu, biography, age, parents, disability, state, record and net worth

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Thangavelu is a triple Paralympics medallist who won a gold at 2016 Rio, a silver at 2020 Tokyo and now a bronze at 2024 Paris.

Mariyappan Thangavelu bio

Mariyappan Thangavelu is an Indian Paralympic high jumper who was born on June 28, 1995 in Periavadagampatti, Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. He is currently 29 years old, and one of six children – four brothers and a sister. Mariyappan’s father reportedly abandoned the family when he was still young, which led to their mother, Saroja, raised them as a single mother.

Saroja worked as a labourer, carrying bricks before she became a vegetable seller, earning just ₹100 (US$1.20) per day. When he was just five years old, Mariyappan suffered a permanent disability in his right leg after a drunk bus driver ran over him while walking to school. As a result of the accident, his right leg below the knee became stunted but he completed his secondary schooling despite the setback.

Following his previous Paralympic triumph, Mariyappan used a part of his prize money earnings to purchase a paddy field for his mother to ensure a more stable source of income. He also used his winnings to build a better house for his family. He has a net worth of Rs.1-5 crore.

He secured Paralympic gold in Rio with a jump of 1.89m which is an Asian record.

Education

After completing his secondary schooling, Mariyappan Thangavelu obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2015.

Athletic career

Mariyappan Thangavelu started out playing volleyball as a student but eventually shifted to high jump after his school physical education instructor encouraged him. He competed in his first competitive event aged 14, and came in second against able-bodied competitors. Following his achievement, he received strong encouragement from his classmates. His current coach Satyanarayana formally took him in as a student in 2015, after first noticing him in 2013.

By March of 2016, Mariyappan competed at the IPC Grand Prix in Tunisia, and qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where he won the gold medal in the T-42 category.  Back in October 2018, Mariyappan was named as the flag bearer for the 2018 Asian Para Games. And by December of that year, he received a Group A post as a coach under the Sports Authority of India.

The following year, in November 2019, Mariyappan won a bronze in the Men’s T-63 high jump event at the World Para Athletics Championships. He then won a silver in men’s T-63 high jump event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021.

Achievements and medal record

Given below are Mariyappan Thangavelu’s career achievements and medal record:

Awards and recognition

Given below is a list of all the awards and recognition that Mariyappan Thangavelu achieved throughout his career:

Aside from these awards, he also received monetary awards from the following different organizations and governments:

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