SELVATHAMBY Suresh

Classification
Open (World Archery, 28 Feb 2021)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (mstar.com.my, 13 Jun 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (mstar.com.my, 13 Jun 2019)

Impairment Details
His left leg was amputated below the knee at age 13 following a lorry accident that his father's truck was involved in. (mstar.com.my, 13 Jun 2019; nst.com.my, 10 Jun 2019)

General
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTY
When he first began competing he was unable to fully focus on the sport because he was helping to support his family as a result of his father being absent. "People often told my mother that I had been a useless child because I took up archery. They said as the oldest child I should have taken care of my family, but instead it was my mother who took care of us. When I took up the sport [in 2012], I was studying in Gurun [Malaysia]. At that time, I could not train consistently but managed to win a silver medal at the 2012 Sukma Games. After that, I still could not concentrate on training because I was also working to help my mother. In 2013, I broke into the national team, but still I faced a lot of challenges. I had to adapt to the full-time training routine. However, I didn't give up, but carried on." (mstar.com.my, 13 Jun 2019; nst.com.my, 10 Jun 2019; bharian.com.my, 10 Jun 2019)

He became the first Malaysian Para archer to win gold at the world championships, following his victory in the open individual recurve event at the 2019 edition in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. (Asian Paralympic Committee Facebook page, 10 Jun 2019)