Here are the nominees for para athlete of the year for the ESPN India awards for 2019.
ESPN India Awards 2019: Full coverage
Ekta Bhyan
After securing a Tokyo Paralympics quota at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, Bhyan had yet another successful year. She finished fourth in the women's club throw F51 category to book a paralympic berth, making her season-best throw of 16.04m in the process.
READ: 'Nothing can stop you' - The remarkable tale of para-athlete Ekta Bhyan
Manasi Joshi
The 30-year-old Joshi became world champion after winning gold at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in 2019. She beat three-time world champion Parul Parmar in the SL3 category. She had previously won the bronze medal for India at the Asian Para Games in 2018.
Pramod Bhagat
Pramod Bhagat won not one, but two gold medals at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in 2019. Ranked number one in the world, Bhagat won the gold medal in both the men's singles SL3 category as well as the men's doubles SL3-4 title, along with partner Manoj Sarkar.
Sandeep Chaudhary
Javelin thrower Chaudhary threw a distance of 66.18m -- bettering his own world record of 65.80m in F44 category - to win gold at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. With the win, he secured a berth for the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics. He had also brought home India's first gold medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta.
READ: Comfortably numb: Sandeep Chaudhary soothes physical pain with Para Games gold
Sundar Singh Gurjar
Gurjar defended his world title after winning gold in the men's F46 javelin throw event at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. He'd previously won in the event at the 2017 London Worlds. With this, he not just secured a Tokyo Paralympic Games quota but became only the second Indian to win two World Championships medals after Devendra Jhajharia.
READ: 'Big thing to be the first Indian to win gold at the world championships'
Yogesh Kathuniya
After three foul attempts to begin his men's discus throw F56 final, 23-year-old Kathuniya didn't give up. His throw of 42.05m in his sixth attempt assured him of a bronze medal, and a Paralympics berth. He had, earlier in 2018, set a world record in the F36 category after throwing a distance of 45.18m at the Berlin Para-Athletics Grand Prix.