India’s athletes continued their impressive performance at the Paris Paralympics on Day 7, securing a total of 20 medals (3 gold, 7 silver, 10 bronze) and surpassing their previous best medal haul at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Deepti Jeevanji, a 20-year-old world champion sprinter, secured a bronze medal for India in the women’s 400m (T20) event, clocking a time of 55.82 seconds. This was her debut appearance at the Paralympic Games. She finished behind Yuliia Shuliar (55.16sec) of Ukraine and world record holder Aysel Onder (55.23sec) of Turkey.
High jumpers Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu also contributed to India’s medal tally, winning silver and bronze respectively in the T63 high jump finals. Kumar achieved a jump of 1.88m while Thangavelu, the Tokyo Paralympics gold medalist, achieved a jump of 1.85m. The T63 category is for high jumpers who have moderately affected movement in one leg or are missing limbs above the knee.
India’s javelin throwers also continued their winning streak, with Ajeet Singh and world record holder Sundar Singh Gurjar securing silver and bronze respectively in the F46 category. Singh threw a distance of 65.62m while Gurjar achieved a throw of 64.96m. The F46 category is for field athletes with moderately affected movement in one or both arms or the absence of limbs.
This impressive performance on Day 7 comes after a similarly successful Day 6, where India secured five medals – two silver and three bronze – in track and field events.
India currently sits at 19th place in the overall medal standings. The country’s impressive showing at the Paris Paralympics highlights the dedication and talent of its athletes and showcases the growing strength of Indian para sports.
