Glasgow

India's para-athletes remained an inspiring and unstoppable force at the Commonwealth Games as sprinters Dilip Mahadu Gavit and Mohammed Basil scripted another story of grit with a gold-silver finish in the men's 100m T47 final here.

Gavit clocked a Games record and his season's best time of 10.71 seconds to take the top spot, while Basil produced his season's best of 10.83 seconds to finish second in a closely-fought race on Wednesday.

England's Kevin Santos completed the podium taking 10.85 seconds to win bronze. The men's 100m T47 is a para athletics sprint event covers arm impairment or absence, affecting strength, movement or coordination on one side.

Gavit's gold was India's third at the Games, following Mirabai Chanu's victory in the women's 48kg weightlifting event and Sharmila Dhankar's triumph in the women's shot put F57 para athletics category.

The 40-year-old Sharmila, who was afflicted with Polio at two years of age, survived the trauma of an abusive marriage to come this far.

Against all odds

Behind Gavit's gold medal lies a journey shaped by adversity, limited facilities and a chance discovery by his coach.

Born in the small village of Toran Dongari near Nashik in Maharashtra, Gavit was just about six years of age when he lost his right arm after an injury from falling off a tree turned into gangrene due to lack of timely medical care.

The amputation of his arm below the elbow was a devastating blow to him and his family of farmers with limited means. However, he refused to let that define his life and turned his focus to running.

With limited access to training infrastructure in his hometown, it seemed like an unlikely path until coach Vaijanth Kale spotted his potential.

"I saw him at school and then I convinced his parents for training," Kale said after the triumph.

"He did not know anything about para competitions. He was competing in able-bodied events and was doing well," he recalled.

The 21-year-old Basil, on the other hand, was born with limb deficiency. The Kerala youngsters is supported by his parents and two brothers.

Aiming Higher

After his historic win, Gavit admitted that the start was not ideal but he grew stronger through the race.

"The start was a bit slow, but then I gradually picked up pace and it felt great to win," Gavit said.

The final was held on a rain-soaked track, making conditions difficult for the sprinters.

Despite the success Gavit is not ready to relax and is already looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympis.

"I am not thinking about doing a job now, my target is to win medals. I am sure I will do better at the upcoming Para Asian Games in September-October in Japan and then the Paralympics," he said.

Khelo India medalist

Before moving into para athletics, Gavit had already made his mark against able-bodied competitors, winning two medals at the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune and another medal at the Under-18 level.

Kale believes Gavit's talent was evident from the beginning.

"He would do well in able-bodied meets. The problem in rural areas is that there are no facilities. He did not get proper medical facilities, which led to his left hand being amputated," he said.

Training in Nashik helped Gavit take his career forward, eventually bringing him to the biggest stage.

Sagar, Devender miss podium

India's para discus throwers Sagar Thayat and Devender Kumar missed out on medals, finishing sixth and seventh respectively in the men's F42-44/F61-64 final.

Competing in the F43 category, Sagar produced an Asian record and his season''s best throw of 51.79m, while Devender, in the F44 category, registered a season''s best effort of 48.20m in the 10-man field.

The F42-44 and F61-64 classifications are for athletes with lower-limb impairments in field events.

READ MORE: Nigar Sultana: A pioneer Muslim woman lawyer in Jaipur

Athletes in the F42-44 classes compete without prostheses, while those in the F61-64 classes compete using prostheses.