Joby mathew

In Khelo India Para Games: In sports, age is just a number if you are physically and mentally fit. Iconic sportspersons like Tiger Woods (49), Cristiano Ronaldo (40), and Rafael Nadal (38) have defied age in their professional careers earning the highest sporting honour on the planet through sheer hard work and willpower, enduring multiple injuries in their journey.

At 48, Kerala's para powerlifter Joby Mathew has an impressive personality and a well-built physique. Born with underdeveloped legs, he has already won four gold and one bronze medal for India at the international level. On Monday, Joby won gold in the 65kg category in the ongoing Khelo India Para Games 2025. This is an improvement from his performance in the first edition in which he won silver in the 59 kg category.

However, the Kottayam-born multifaceted para athlete never let this become a weakness and has remained active in the sporting ecosystem for the last 25 years. His dream is to win a gold medal for India at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, and it doesn't matter to him that he will be 51 years old by then.