The Paris Paralympics 2024, which commenced on August 28th and concludes on September 8th, has seen India achieve its best-ever performance at a single edition of the Games. With a remarkable haul of 5 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze medals, India has cemented its place among the top Paralympic nations.
One of the most significant moments for India came on Wednesday, August 29th, when Harvinder Singh etched his name in history by winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in para archery. He defeated Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the men’s individual recurve open final, securing his second consecutive medal at the Paralympics.
Later that day, Dharambir, in the men’s club throw F51 final, set an Asian Record of 34.92m, bringing India its fifth gold medal in Paris. This achievement mirrored India’s performance in Tokyo, where they also won five gold medals. In the same event, Pranav Soorma secured a silver medal with a throw of 34.59m.
Other noteworthy performances include Sachin Khilari’s silver medal in the men’s shot put F46 final, Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu’s silver and bronze in the men’s high jump T63 event, and Ajeet Singh’s silver medal in the men’s javelin F46 event.
India’s medal tally continued to grow with Deepthi Jeevanji winning a bronze medal in the women’s 400m T20 event. Sumit Antil further bolstered India’s position by winning the country’s third gold medal in the men’s javelin throw F64, setting a Paralympic record of 70.59m.
In para badminton, Nitesh Kumar triumphed in the men’s singles SL3 category, while Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manisha Ramadass secured silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the women’s singles SU5 event. Nithya Sre’s bronze medal win in the women’s singles SH6 category brought India’s medal count to 15.
On Day 7 of the Paralympics, Yogesh Kathuniya won silver in the men’s discus F56 final, marking India’s eighth medal at the Games. However, Suhas Yathiraj fell short in the men’s singles SL4 category, losing to Lucas Mazur in the gold medal match.
India’s para archers Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar also brought home a bronze medal after defeating Italy’s Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina in the bronze medal match. This was India’s second para archery medal after Harvinder Singh’s bronze in Tokyo.
Nishad Kumar secured a silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 final, and Preethi Pal won a bronze medal in the women’s 200m T35 event. India also had a successful outing in shooting, with Avani Lekhara winning a gold and Mona Agarwal winning bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1. Manish Narwal bagged silver in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1, and Rubina Francis won bronze in the P2 Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1.
The Paris Paralympics 2024, with 4,400 athletes from across the globe participating in 549 medal events across 22 sports, showcases the incredible talent and determination of athletes with disabilities. India’s performance at the Games, with its historic achievements and impressive medal count, underscores the country’s rising prominence in the world of Paralympic sports.
