#RioParalympics gold-medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu donates Rs 30 lakh from the prize money to his govt school. — ANI (@ANI_news) September 12, 2016NEW DELHI: Rio Paralympics gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu has donated Rs 30 lakh from the prize money he won after his historic feat to the government school where he studied.Thangavelu, who hails from Tamil Nadu , became the third Indian to win a gold medal in the Paralympics when he left behind world champion Sam Grewe of the USA in the T-42 High Jump event in Rio. He is also the first from his country to do so in high jump.The 21-year-old Paralympian met with an accident aged five with a speeding bus that resulted in his right leg getting crushed below the knee, leaving him with a permanent disability.The Indian sports ministry and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa both announced cash rewards of Rs 75 lakh and Rs 2 crore respectively for the gold medalist.He will also be India's flagbearer at the Rio Paralympics closing ceremony on September 18.

Source: Times of India September 12, 2016 15:12 UTC