Mariyappan Thangavelu - wikipedia Mariyappan Thangavelu Mariyappan Thangavelu Full name Mariyappan Thangavelu மாரியப்பன் தங்கவேலு ( 1995 - 06 - 28 ) 28 June 1995 ( age 22 ) Periavadagampatti, Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India Sport Country India Sport Athletics Event ( s ) High Jump - T42 Achievements and titles Paralympic finals 2016 Summer Paralympics : High Jump ( T42 ) -- Gold Medal record Representing India Men 's athletics Paralympic Games 2016 Rio Paralympics High Jump ( T42 ) Mariyappan Thangavelu ( born 28 June 1995 ) is an Indian Paralympic high jumper. He represented India in the 2016 Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro in the men 's high jump T - 42 category, winning the gold medal in the finals. He is India 's first Paralympian gold medallist since 2004. Tamil film director Aishwaryaa Dhanush is making a film about this life and achievements titled Mariyappan. On 25 January 2017, Government of India announced `` Padma Shri '' award for his contribution towards sports and in the same year he was also awarded Arjuna Award. Contents 1 Early life 2 Athletic career 3 Personal life 4 Awards and recognition 5 See also 6 References Early life Mariyappan was born in Periavadagampatti village, Salem district, Tamil Nadu, one of six children ( four brothers and a sister ). His father reportedly abandoned the family early on, and his mother, Saroja, raised her children as a single mother, carrying bricks as a labourer until becoming a vegetable seller, earning ₹ 100 ( US $1.60 ) a day. At the age of five, Mariyappan suffered permanent disability in his right leg when he was run over by a drunk bus driver while walking to school ; the bus crushed his leg below the knee, causing it to become stunted. Despite this setback, he completed secondary schooling ; he says he `` did n't see myself as different from able - bodied kids. '' Athletic career Mariyappan enjoyed playing volleyball as a student ; subsequently, his school physical education instructor encouraged him to try high jumping. In his first competitive event, aged 14, he placed second among a field of able - bodied competitors, after which he received strong encouragement from his classmates and others in Salem district. In 2013, his current coach Mr. Satyanarayana, supported by the Sports academy of India for differently - abled, first noticed his performance at the Indian national para-athletics championships, and formally took him on as a student in 2015, bringing him to Bengaluru for further coaching. In March 2016, Mariyappan cleared a distance of 1.78 m ( 5 ft 10 in ) in the men 's high jump T -- 42 event at the IPC Grand Prix in Tunisia, qualifying him for the Rio Paralympics. At the Rio Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the men 's high jump T -- 42 event, with a leap of 1.89 m ( 6 ft 2 in ). Personal life In 2015, Mariyappan completed a bachelor 's degree in business administration from AVS College of Arts and Science. He plans to complete an MBA from the same institution. He has an elder sister Sudha and two younger brothers Kumar and Gopi. Awards and recognition For the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Padma Shri ( 2017 ) - fourth highest Indian national honour ₹ 2 crore ( US $310,000 ) from the Government of Tamil Nadu ₹ 75 lakh ( US $120,000 ) from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports ₹ 30 lakh ( US $47,000 ) from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment ₹ 15 lakh ( US $23,000 ) from fund established by Sachin Tendulkar, various corporations. ₹ 10 lakh ( US $16,000 ) from Yash Raj Films ₹ 10 lakh ( US $16,000 ) from the Delhi Golf Club ₹ 5 lakh ( US $7,800 ) from NRI businessman Mukkattu Sebastian See also Sharad Kumar, P.V. Sindhu References Jump up ^ C., Aprameya ( 10 September 2016 ). `` Rio Paralympics : Who is history - maker Mariyappan Thangavelu ? ''. OneIndia.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Paralympics 2016 Mariyappan Thangavelu wins India 's first gold in Rio ''. 2016 - 09 - 10. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 14. ^ Jump up to : Stalin, J. Sam Daniel ( 10 September 2016 ). `` Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu 's Golden Leap From Poverty ''. NDTV Sports. Retrieved 10 September 2016. Jump up ^ PTI. `` SRK shares first look of Aishwaryaa Dhanush 's next film ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 02. Jump up ^ `` PadmaAwards - 2017 '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ `` National Sports Awards : Centre unveils list, cricket sensation Harmanpreet Kaur to receive Arjuna Award ''. Financial Express. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : Chidananda, Shreedutta ( 20 May 2016 ). `` It 's not beyond me, even gold is possible : Mariyappan ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 10 September 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Indians bag gold, bronze in men 's high jump in Paralympics ''. The Hindu. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Ministry of Home Affairs : Padma Awards 2017 '' ( PDF ). mha.nic.in. Retrieved 25 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Rio Paralympics : Jayalalithaa announces Rs 2 crore award for gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu ''. The Indian Express. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Govt announces Rs 90L cash awards in total for Paralympics medal winners ''. Hindustan Times. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` India 's Rio 2016 Paralympics medal winners felicitated ''. The Indian Express. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` Yash Raj Films to honour Indian Paralympic medal winners ''. Deccan Herals. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Delhi Golf club announces Rs 50 lakh in cash awards for Rio Olympics and Paralympics winners ''. Firstpost Sports. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` NRI businessman announces cash prize for 2016 Rio paralympics heroes ''. News Nation. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mariyappan_Thangavelu&oldid=800609087 '' Categories : Athletes ( track and field ) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Sportspeople from Tamil Nadu People from Salem district Tamil people Indian high jumpers Living people 1995 births Paralympic athletes of India Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports Paralympic gold medalists for India 21st - century Indian sportspeople Talk Contents About Wikipedia অসমীয়া हिन्दी ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ਪੰਜਾਬੀ தமிழ் Edit links This page was last edited on 14 September 2017, at 16 : 09. About Wikipedia

Question: who won the gold medal in high jump at rio paralympic games
Answer: Mariyappan Thangavelu