India at Paralympics 2024: A Historic Campaign

Avani Lekhara's Gold Set the Tone
India’s medal rush began with Avani Lekhara, who won Gold in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, opening the country’s account at Paris 2024. This victory was particularly momentous as Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win three Paralympic medals.

(Avani Lekhara | Shooting Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1)

But the success didn’t stop there. Mona Agarwal made it a double celebration for India by clinching the Bronze in the same event, giving India an early boost. On the very first day, India added two more medals to their tally, with Preethi Pal taking Bronze in the Women’s 100m T35 and Manish Narwal securing Silver in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event.

Continuing the Medal Momentum
As the competition progressed, India’s shooters kept the momentum going. Rubina Francis added a Bronze to India’s tally in the P2 Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event. Meanwhile, Preethi Pal, showcasing her versatility and endurance, won her second medal of the Games, clinching a Bronze in the Women’s 200m T35 race.

(Rubina Francis | Women's P2 10 m air pistol SH1)

In the Men’s High Jump T47 event, Nishad Kumar added a Silver, demonstrating India’s strength in track and field events. His performance added to India's growing list of medals in various disciplines, further solidifying India’s reputation on the global Paralympic stage.

A Record-Breaking Day for India
September 2, 2024, will go down as a historic day in India’s Paralympic history. India won a staggering eight medals in a single day, the most successful day ever for the country at the Paralympics. Highlights from this day include:

(Kumar Nitesh | Badminton Men's singles SL3)

Silver for Yogesh Kathuniya in Men’s Discus Throw F56
Gold for Nitesh Kumar in Para Badminton Men’s Singles SL3
Silver for Thulasimathi Murugesan in Para Badminton Women’s Singles SU5
Bronze for Manisha Ramadass in Para Badminton Women’s Singles SU5
Silver for Suhas Yathiraj in Para Badminton Men’s Singles SL4
Gold for Sumit Antil in Men’s Javelin Throw F64
Bronze for Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar in Para Archery Mixed Team Compound Open
Bronze for Nithya Sivan in Para Badminton Women’s Singles SH6

This medal haul catapulted India to new heights at the Games and has set the bar even higher for future Paralympians.

High Jump, Shot Put, Javelin, and Para Archery Glory
India’s athletes continued their stellar performances across various disciplines, including track and field events. Deepthi Jeevanji clinched a Bronze in the Women’s 400m T20 race, while India’s high jumpers Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu took Silver and Bronze, respectively, in the Men’s High Jump T63 event. This medal was particularly significant for Mariyappan Thangavelu, as it marked his third consecutive Paralympic medal following his Gold in Rio 2016 and Silver in Tokyo 2020.

(Deepthi Jeevanji | Athletics Women's 400 m T20)

In the field events, Sachin Khilari brought home a Silver in Men’s Shot Put F46, and India’s javelin stars Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar added Silver and Bronze, respectively, in the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event.

Following Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar’s success in Para Archery, Harvinder stepped up to the occasion with an incredible performance in the Men’s Individual Recurve event. He struck Gold with his precision and accuracy to bring further glory to India.

New Era in Judo

India’s para-judoka Kapil Parmar added a page in the history books of Indian Judo as he became the first Indian to win a medal in the Olympics or Paralympics. He showed his excellence in the qualification rounds but came short in the semi-final. However, there was no stopping in the Bronze medal match as he came up trumps against his Brazilian opposition Elielton de Oliviera.

(Kapil Parmar | Judo Men's J1 -60 kg)

The Final Stretch
The final couple of days saw the Indian contingent winning a few more medals and making this edition a memorable one. Praveen Kumar clinched Gold in Men’s High Jump – T64 and Simran Sharma grabbed a Bronze in the Women’s 200m T12 event. Hokato Hotozhe Sema added a new page to the history books as he became the first Paralympic athlete from Nagaland to win a medal. He won a Bronze in the Men’s Shot Put – F57 event. India’s 7th Gold in Paralympics 2024 came in the most dramatic fashion. Javelin Thrower Navdeep Singh had secured a Silver with a throw of 47.32m initially. However, his Silver was upgraded to Gold once Iran’s Beit Sayah Sadegh got disqualified. Navdeep’s gold is the first-ever won by an Indian in the F41 category.

Conclusion
India’s performance at the 2024 Paris Paralympics has surpassed the nation’s record at the Tokyo Games, where 19 medals were won. The future looks bright as India’s Paralympians continue to perform at their peak. As we come to an end of a historic edition of Paralympics, one thing is certain: India’s Paralympians have made the country proud, and the Indian flag will keep flying high at the Paralympic Games.