Kapil Parmar: Judoka’s journey from surviving near-fatal electrocution, coma to making Paralympics history

Kapil Parmar made history on Thursday by winning India's first-ever Paralympic medal in judo during the Paris Games on Thursday.

Parmar defeated Brazil's Elielton de Oliveira with an 'Ippon' (10-0 margin) in the men's 60kg J1 bronze medal playoff. It was a solid comeback by the Indian, who had lost to Iran's S. Banitaba Khorram Abadi by a similar margin during the semi-finals.

Paris Paralympics 2024:   News |   Medal Tally |   India Schedule

Before that, Parmar had blanked Marco Dennis Blanco in the quarter-finals, also scoring a 10-0 victory over the Venezuelan.

India thus added its first medal in judo to its overall haul, which currently stands at 56, at the Paralympic Games since making its debut in Tel Aviv 1968.

More from Sports

The bronze also took India's medal haul in the ongoing Paris Games to 25, which is six more than their previous highest record for most medals in a single edition of the Paralympics — set in Tokyo three years ago.

Who is Kapil Parmar?

Kapil comes from a small village named Shivor in Madhya Pradesh. He is the youngest of four brothers and a sister. His middle brother, who practices judo, often trains with him. Kapil's father works as a taxi driver, while his sister runs a primary school.

As a child, Kapil had a life-altering accident when he was playing in the fields of his village and accidentally touched a water pump, resulting in a severe electric shock. He was found unconscious by a villager and taken to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for six months in Bhopal. Despite this setback, Kapil's love for judo, which he enjoyed playing in school, never waned.

Following his recovery, doctors advised Kapil to gain weight. It was during this period that he discovered blind judo through the encouragement of his mentor and coaches, Bhagwan Das and Manoj 'Sir', who motivated him to pursue the sport competitively.

Kapil has faced numerous hardships throughout his life. He and his brother used to run a tea stall to support themselves. Even now, Kapil's brother Lalit remains his main source of financial support, continuing to help him pursue his passion for judo.

Kapil Parmar key details

Date of Birth: June 23, 2000

Home Location: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Training Base: Indian Blind and Para Judo Academy, Lucknow

Disability Class: J1 (Vision impairment must result in visual acuity of less than or equal to LogMAR 2.6 in binocular vision)

What are Kapil Parmar’s achievements?

— Asian Para Games 2022 (2023) – Silver Medal

— Commonwealth Championships (2019)- Gold Medal

— IBSA Judo Grand Prix Antalya (2024) – Gold Medal

— IBSA Judo Grand Prix Tbilisi (2024) – Gold Medal

— IBSA Judo Grand Prix Alexandria (2023) - Gold Medal

— IBSA World Games (2023) – Bronze Medal

Government support

— 7 Foreign Exposures in Kazakhstan, Georgia, Japan, Germany, Turkey, China

— Financial Assistance for Training & Competition

— Training camp in Japan for 14 days

— Out of Pocket Allowance under TOPS