Surgery and blade prosthetic: Mariyappan Thangavelu's new strategy for LA

Chennai: Triple Paralympic medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu revealed that he will undergo a surgical procedure to shift to a blade prosthetic for his leg.

Mariyappan hopes that the surgery will help him leap even higher in high jump.

The para-athlete from Tamil Nadu will undergo surgery in the coming weeks as he eyes a return to the field at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, which will be held in New Delhi later this year.

He opted out of competing at the ongoing 23rd National Para Athletics Championships here, where more than 1,400 athletes are competing across 155 events.

Change in strategy

Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of the event on Tuesday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Mariyappan said, "I was supposed to take part [in the National Para-athletics meet], but I have surgery. I am switching to blades."

"With blades, I feel it will help me jump higher and will be supportive for better performances," he added.

Currently competing in the T42 category, Mariyappan will move to the T64 (blade inserted below the knee) category after the surgery.

The decision was taken keeping in mind the increased competition and his age.

His coach, Satyanarayana, who is also the head coach of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), had been insisting on this switch since 2017, and it took Mariyappan eight years to oblige.

"I want to change strategies to improve his chances of getting gold at the 2028 [Los Angeles Paralympics]," the coach said.

Expressing his optimism regarding the change, Satyanarayana also spoke about the natural abilities of Mariyappan and how that, combined with the blade, can help him scale new highs.

'Even better with blades'

"Mariyappan has very good explosive power in his legs even without blades," he said. "With blades, it will be even better.

"He is the first to jump 1.89m without blades. With blades, the number will get higher. Only if he jumps 2m in the next Paralympics he can expect to win gold. For him to jump 2m, he needs to switch to blades," he added.

The surgery will likely take place in Bengaluru. Mariyappan is also expected to miss the first-ever Para Athletics Grand Prix, which India is slated to host next month in Delhi, post the surgery.

Hailing from Salem, Mariyappan has repeatedly captured the nations attention with his astonishing performances at the international level, in particular at the Paralympics, where he has won a gold, silver, and bronze medal.

Talking about the ongoing Nationals, Mariyappan said, "The event happening in Chennai will be helpful for many TN para-athletes, especially from villages."

"It costs a lot for athletes to travel outside Tamil Nadu, and they also face difficulties adapting to different weather conditions. The meet happening in Tamil Nadu for the first time is certainly proving useful for these athletes," he added.