Mariyappan Thangavelu Height, Weight, Age, Biography, Family

Bio/Wiki
Profession(s)	Paralympic high jumper and high jump coach
Famous for	Representing India in the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He is India's first Paralympian gold medalist since 2004.
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
High Jump
Coach/Mentor	Satyanarayana
Medals	• Gold medal at Rio Paralympics in Men's High Jump T-42 event in 2016 • Bronze medal at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championship in Men's High Jump T-63 event • Silver medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo in Men's High Jump T-42 category • Bronze medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris in Men's High Jump T-63 event
Honours	• Padma Shri in 2017 • Arjuna Award in 2017 • Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020
Personal Life
Date of Birth	28 June 1995 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2024)	29 Years
Birthplace	Periavadagampatti village, Salem, Tamil Nadu
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Salem, Tamil Nadu
College/University	AVS College of Arts and Science, Ramalingapuram, Tamil Nadu
Educational Qualifications	Bachelor's degree in Business Administration [1]International Paralympic Committee
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian [2]YouTube
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Wife/Spouse	N/A
Parents	Father- Name Not Known Mother- Saroja
Siblings	Brother(s): He has four brothers; two of his brothers are named Kumar and Gopi. Sister: Sudha
Favourites
Food	Chicken soup [3]YouTube
Actor	Rajinikanth
Style Quotient
Car Collection	BMW 3 Series GT

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mariyappan Thangavelu

• Mariyappan Thangavelu is an Indian para-athlete high jumper who has represented India at the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janerio and the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

• Mariyappan Thangavelu was born in a poverty-stricken family. Reportedly, his father abandoned the family, and his mother, Saroja, single-handedly raised all her six children. She was working as a construction labourer in the beginning, but after some health issues, she switched to selling vegetables.

• Mariyappan met with an accident when he was five years old. A drunk driver ran over his leg while he was walking to school; the weight of the bus crushed his leg below the knee, causing it to become stunted. Despite the disability, Mariyappan completed his schooling, followed by a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

• Mariyappan initially enjoy playing volleyball; his physical education teacher in school asked him to try his hand at high jumping. In 2013, Mariyappan used to jump on top of a truckload of sand. During a national event meet, he was spotted by Indian high jump coach Satyanarayana, who took him to Bangalore for training. During an interview, Mariyappan said-
  

  After he saw me at a national meet, he came and convinced my family and also made arrangements at my college, and trained me here in Bengaluru for about two years. He has been more like a friend to me, supporting me through every practice and every day.”

• In Bangalore, Satyanarayana worked with him and trained him in high jumping at the SAI facility, which led to his gold medal-winning performance at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. He won the medal in the men’s high jump T-42 event by clearing the 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) mark.

SALUTE #Mariyappan!!#MariyappanThangavelu creates history by winning #GOLD in high jump at #Paralympics . pic.twitter.com/WovfbvUm5l

— Doordarshan National दूरदर्शन नेशनल (@DDNational) September 10, 2016

• For winning the gold medal at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, the Government of Tamil Nadu awarded him Rs. 2 crores, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports rewarded him with a cash prize of Rs. 75 lakh. He received prize money of Rs. 15 lakh from a fund that was formed by Sachin Tendulkar. He also received an amount of Rs. 10 lakh from Yash Raj Films, and the Delhi Golf Club offered him a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh.

• With the help of all the prize money he received after winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Mariyappan bought his mother a paddy field so that his brothers and his mother could work in the field to earn a stable income, and he also built a better house for his family.

• In an interview in 2017, Mariyappan talked about his financial issues and said that even though he had been committed to his athletic career, he is living off the prize money, and he is in desperate need of a steady job to support his family. He also requested the Tamil Nadu government to help him find a job, but he did not receive any response from them.
  

  Mariyappan during his early days of high jump practice

• In October 2018, Mariyappan became the flag bearer during the opening ceremony for the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta. ^[4]The Indian Express In the same year, he was selected as a Group A post coach with the Sports Authority of India, along with eleven Olympians and two other Paralympians. ^[5]The Indian Express

• During the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan were competing against the American para-athlete Sam Grewe and with each other for the podium finish. However, Kumar won a bronze medal with a record of 1.83 m high jump, and Mariyappan won the silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T63 event as he failed to clear the 1.88 m bar height. After the ceremony, in an interview, he said-
  

  The sock on my other leg (the impaired right leg) got wet and it was difficult to jump. I have cleared 1.90m in the past. But the rain played spoilsport.”

• In July 2021, Mariyappan was named the flag bearer for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. However, he lost the opportunity as he was quarantined on arrival because someone close to him in the flight had tested positive for Covid-19. Mariyappan tested negative, but for safety measures, he was quarantined in his hotel room.

• Mariyappan follows a life motto that had helped him through tough times, which is
  

  Try and try again, you will succeed in the end.”

  He believes that the motto had helped him keep going in life and the game as well.