op para high-jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu was the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent in the Tokyo Paralympics, which starts on August 24. Thangavelu, defending the T-42 gold he had received in the 2016 Rio Paralympics during the August 24 to September 5 showpiece in Tokyo, was once picked for the honour by the executive committee of the country wide body. The 25-year-old Thangavelu, who used to be conferred with the Khel Ratna, the countrys best possible carrying award, the remaining year is one of the 24 para-athletes picked via the decision committee for the Tokyo Paralympics. Thangavelu, who hails from Salem district in Nadu, suffered a permanent disability at the age of five when a bus crashed his right leg beneath the knee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"