A Paralympics to remember for India

INDIA has delivered a strong performance at the Paris Paralympics, securing a total of 20 medals so far.  

This is India's best-ever performance at the Paralympics

With three gold, seven silver, and ten bronze, India surpassed the previous best of 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympic Games three years ago.

At the Tokyo Paralympics, India had earned a total of five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals.

The event is set to conclude next Monday (9).  

The Indian contingent in Paris is the largest ever, comprising 84 athletes across 12 sports. 

On Tuesday (September 3), Indian para sports achieved a notable milestone as track and field athletes secured five medals—two silver and three bronze—at the Stade de France. This impressive performance propelled India to 17th place on the sixth day of the event.

Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar won silver and bronze in the F46 javelin with throws of 65.62m and 64.96m. Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu secured silver and bronze in the T63 high jump, with jumps of 1.88m and 1.85m.

Sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji claimed bronze in the women’s 400m (T20) with a time of 55.82 seconds.

India’s world champion Deepthi Jeevanji won a bronze medal in the women’s 400m T20 category race, clocking 55.82 seconds on Tuesday. 

Jeevanji, who turns 21 later this month, finished behind Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar (55.16) and world record holder Aysel Onder (55.23) of Turkey. The T20 category includes athletes with intellectual impairment.  

Sumit Antil, 26, won the gold medal in the javelin throw F64 category on Monday (2), becoming the first Indian man to defend a Paralympic title. His winning throw of 70.59 metres set a new Paralympic record, while his world mark stands at 73.29 metres. The F64 category is for field athletes with moderately affected movement in one or both legs or the absence of limbs. 

Antil’s medal came after Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman last Friday (30) to win two Paralympic golds, after securing victory in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event, in which athletes with lower limb impairment compete in rifle events.  

Lekhara, who was left paralysed below the waist following a car accident at the age of 11, previously won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics, scored 249.7 to surpass her own record of 249.6 which she set in Tokyo. She made history at those Games in 2021 as the first woman from India to win medals in shooting.  

Kumar Nitesh, 29, secured his first gold medal at the Paris Paralympics, defeating Britain’s Daniel Bethell 21-14, 18- 21, 23-21 in the men’s singles SL3 badminton final on Monday. He competes in the category for players with severe lower limb disabilities, having lost his left leg in a train accident in 2009.  

Shooter Manish Narwal won a silver medal in the men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event, adding to his previous gold from Tokyo.  

Another medal winner was Nishad Kumar, who clinched a silver in the men’s high jump T46, marking his second consecutive medal in this event. His category is for track and field athletes missing their arm from near the top of their arm.  

Yogesh Kathuniya secured silver in the men’s discus throw F56 (for athletes who compete in field events from a seated position), achieving a repeat performance from the previous Games.  

Last Sunday (1), Suhas Yathiraj won silver in the men’s singles SL4 ParaBadminton (for athletes with lower limb impairment and minor balance problems walking or running), continuing his success from the last Paralympic Games. 

Thulasimathi Murugesan won silver in the women’s singles SU5 Para Badminton, marking India’s first medal in the event for those with impairment of the upper limbs.  

Among the bronze winners were Preethi Pal, who made history by becoming the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win two medals at a single Paralympics. She follows Lekharaj, who achieved a gold and a bronze in Tokyo three years ago.  

Pal won a bronze in the 200m T35 category with a personal best time of 30.01 seconds. She had secured a bronze in the 100m T35 category last Friday. The category is for runners with coordination impairment. 

Mona Agarwal achieved bronze in the women’s 10m Air Rifle SH1 event while compatriot Rubina Francis also won bronze in shooting, in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 event. Sheetal Devi, who became India’s youngest Paralympic medallist at 17, won bronze in the mixed compound archery event along with Rakesh Kumar. She has phocomelia, a medical condition which caused her to be born with no arms. 

Manisha Ramadass secured a bronze in women’s singles SL3 Para-Badminton, while Nithya Sivan won bronze in the women’s singles badminton SH6 class for those with short stature who play in standing position.