After bringing glory to the country at the Athens Paralympics, former javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia now has the task of guiding the next generation to glory.

The one-armed athlete from Rajasthan climbed to the top of the podium at the 2004 Games when he hurled the spear to a distance of 62.15 metres, a world record. Till date, he is the only Indian gold medallist at the Paralympics.

After losing an arm in an accident at a young age, Jhajharia showed immense courage and determination to climb to the top in his chosen field, and now wants his compatriots to take inspiration from his feats.

"My world record is yet to be broken but I want an Indian to break it," he said. Jhajharia, who was conferred the Padma Shri on Thursday, is the national coach of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).

Jhajharia feels athletes should not get demoralised if their achievements do not get immediate recognition.

"Sportspersons should not feel let down. If they keep performing, no one can deny them their due. I also got recognition pretty late but I hope that it will inspire other athletes to achieve greater heights," he said. "My journey has been tough and I started practising with bamboo sticks. But I never felt inferior to anyone and always competed with the aim to match able-bodied counterparts."

With such an attitude, he feels an affinity with South African para athlete Oscar Pistorius, who has qualified for the London Olympics to compete with able-bodied athletes.

"Both of us participated at the 2004 Paralympics. His feat shows that if a person is determined, he can break any barrier. I feel extremely proud of his feat and hope that he does well."