Paralympics and India: 2024

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Medal winners

MOHAMMAD JAZIB, Sep 10, 2024: jagranjosh.com

India made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympics with 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals. This surpasses their previous record of 19 medals at Tokyo 2020.

India's Paralympic team made history at the Paris Games, securing a record-breaking 29 medals, comprising seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze. This outstanding performance surpasses the country's previous best, achieved at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where they won 19 medals. With this remarkable achievement, India has crossed the 50-medal milestone in Paralympic Games history, cementing its position as a rising force in international para-sports. The team's impressive haul marks a significant improvement from Tokyo, where they claimed five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals.

List of Indian Medal Winners from Paralympics 2024

India's medal tally of 29 was spread across five sports, with a staggering 17 medals coming from track and field events, a testament to the country's athletic prowess. This impressive performance propelled India into the top 20 of the overall medal standings at the Paris Paralympics, a notable achievement in a competition dominated by China's strong presence. The success of India's athletes in track and field events was a significant contributor to the country's historic medal haul.  Here is the complete list:

No.	Athlete	Sport	Event	Medal
1	Avani Lekhara	Shooting	Women's 10m air rifle standing SH1	Gold
2	Mona Agarwal	Shooting	Women's 10m air rifle standing SH1	Bronze
3	Preethi Pal	Athletics	Women's 100m T35	Bronze
4	Manish Narwal	Shooting	Men's 10m air pistol SH1	Silver
5	Rubina Francis	Shooting	Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1	Bronze
6	Preethi Pal	Athletics	Women's 200m T35	Bronze
7	Nishad Kumar	Athletics	Men's high jump T47	Silver
8	Yogesh Kathuniya	Athletics	Men's discus throw F56	Silver
9	Nitesh Kumar	Badminton	Men's singles SL3	Gold
10	Thulasimathi Murugesan	Badminton	Women’s singles SU5	Silver
11	Manisha Ramadass	Badminton	Women’s singles SU5	Bronze
12	Suhas Yathiraj	Badminton	Men’s singles SL4	Silver
13	Rakesh Kumar / Sheetal Devi	Archery	Mixed team compound open	Bronze
14	Sumit Antil	Athletics	Javelin throw F64	Gold
15	Nithya Sre Sivan	Badminton	Women's singles SH6	Bronze
16	Deepthi Jeevanji	Athletics	Women's 400m T20	Bronze
17	Mariyappan Thangavelu	Athletics	Men's high jump T63	Bronze
18	Sharad Kumar	Athletics	Men's high jump T63	Silver
19	Ajeet Singh	Athletics	Men's javelin throw F46	Silver
20	Sundar Singh Gurjar	Athletics	Men's javelin throw F46	Bronze
21	Sachin Khilari	Athletics	Men's shot put F46	Silver
22	Harvinder Singh	Archery	Men's individual recurve open	Gold
23	Dharambir	Athletics	Men's club throw F51	Gold
24	Parnav Soorma	Athletics	Men's club throw F51	Silver
25	Kapil Parmar	Judo	Men's -60kg J1	Bronze
26	Praveen Kumar	Athletics	Men's high jump T64	Gold
27	Hokato Hotozhe Sema	Athletics	Men’s shot put F57	Bronze
28	Simran	Athletics	Women's 200m T12	Bronze
29	Navdeep Singh	Athletics	Men's javelin throw F41	Gold

India's para-archery team made a historic impact at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, shattering records and creating new benchmarks. Sheetal Devi, an extraordinary armless archer, set a new world record in the ranking round and went on to claim a silver medal. She then paired with Rakesh Kumar to establish a new world record score in the compound mixed team qualification event.

At just 17, Sheetal became India's youngest Paralympic medallist, securing bronze in the mixed-team event alongside Rakesh. In a groundbreaking achievement, Harvinder Singh became India's first-ever Paralympic archery champion, etching his name in the record books and marking a monumental milestone for the country.

Indian Athlete Winners by Sport in Paris 2024 Paralympics

A historic contingent of 84 para-athletes proudly represented India at the Paris Paralympics, from August 28 to the event's conclusion on Sunday, participating in an unprecedented 12 disciplines. This marks a significant expansion from the nine disciplines India competed in at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Furthermore, India made its inaugural appearance in three new sports: para-cycling, para-rowing, and blind judo, demonstrating the country's growing presence and commitment to para-sports.

Sport	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Archery	1	0	1	2
Athletics	4	6	7	17
Badminton	1	2	2	5
Judo	0	0	1	1
Shooting	1	1	2	4
TOTAL	7	9	13	29

China dominated the Paralympics medals table, securing a total of 220 medals, including 94 gold medals, as the competition concluded on Sunday. This marks China's uninterrupted reign at the top of the Paralympics medal standings since the Athens 2004 Games. Great Britain claimed the second spot with 49 gold medals, followed closely by the United States with 36 titles. Meanwhile, India achieved a respectable 18th position in the overall points table at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, a testament to the country's growing presence in international para-sports.

1 September

Sep 2, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Top-seeded Indian para shuttler Nitesh Kumar secured a maiden medal in men’s singles SL3 category after reaching the finals with a commanding straight-game win over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in their last four clash at the Paris Paralympics. 
The 29-year-old, who overcame permanent leg damage from a 2009 accident, showed his dominance with a 21-16 21-12 victory over Fujihara in a 48-minute semifinal. 
“I have been performing consistently, so I had the self belief that I will make the finals and it feels amazing to actually do that because there is pressure and I had lost my mixed doubles but I didn’t let it affect me,” he said.
 The IIT Mandi graduate, who won three medals, including a singles silver at the 2022 Asian Games, thus ensured that India return with a medal from the SL3 category, after Pramod Bhagat clinched the gold when para badminton made its debut three years ago in Tokyo. SL3 class players, like Nitesh, compete with more severe lower limb disabilities, requiring play on a half-width court. 
In the summit clash, Nitesh will face Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell, who registered a decisive 21-7, 21-9 victory over Thailand’s Bunsun Mongkhon. Bethell, who was the runner-up to Pramod Bhagat in the Tokyo Games, is a formidable opponent, setting the stage for an electrifying final. 
Manisha advances to semis: India was assured of another medal in badminton with Manisha Ramadass setting up a women’s singles SU5 semifinal duel with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan. 
The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb’s palsy which affected her right arm, had no trouble in dispatching Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda 2113 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
Erb’s palsy is a nerve disorder in the shoulder and arm that results in weakness or loss of muscle function. 
The second seeded Indian left-hander needed 30 minutes to down her unseeded rival. 
In the last four, Manisha will meet top seed Thulasimathi, who had defeated Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in group A on Saturday. 
 Suhas secures final berth: Suhas Yathiraj, a silver medalist from Tokyo Games, is set to become the first Indian shuttler to win back-toback medals at the Paralympics after outplaying compatriot Sukant Kadam in straight games to reach the men’s singles SL4 final. 
The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, beat Sukant 21-17, 21-12 to make yet another final at the global showpiece. He will now face France’s Lucas Mazur, aiming to settle the score after losing to him in the Tokyo Paralympics final three years ago. 
Preethi wins bronze in T35 200m, becomes first Indian woman track & field athlete to win two Paralympics medals: Preethi Pal won a bronze in women’s 200m T35 category, her second medal of Paris Paralympics, with a personal best time of 30.01 seconds on Sunday. The bronze won by the 23-year-old Preethi was also India’s second para-athletics medal in the Paris Games. On Friday, she had clinched India’s first athletics medal in a Paralympics track event, winning a bronze in the women’s T35 100m competition with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds. 
 No finals for shooters Avani, Sidhartha and Devaraddi:

Indian shooters Avani Lekhara finished 11th while Sidhartha Babu ended 28th and were unable to make the final of the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH1) event at the Paralympic Games. 
In the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH2) qualification, Sriharsha Devaraddi Ramakrishna ended in 26th place with a total score of 630.2. 
AGENCIES

2 September

Sep 2, 2024: The Times of India

Medal rush in badminton as Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5 category) and Suhas Yathiraj (SL4) bag silver, Manisha Ramadass wins bronze (SU5). Archers bag a bronze 
➤ With 7 medals, India’s medal count rose to 14: 3 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze

Sumit Antil defends his Tokyo gold, winning top honours again in men’s javelin F64 event in Paris. The world-record holder wins with a top throw of 70.59m, setting a new Paralympic record

Nitesh Kumar, an IIT engineering graduate who lost a leg in a 2009 train accident, clinches India’s 2nd gold at Paris Paralympics, winning badminton singles in the SL3 category

Yogesh Kathuniya clinches silver in men’s discus throw F56 with a distance of 42.22m, repeating his feat from Tokyo Games

Please use all the text including the captions

3 September

Sep 4, 2024: The Times of India

Deepthi Jeevanji (left) clinched bronze in women’s 400m T20 event in Paris on Tuesday, India’s third medal in track events in the history of Paralympics. Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar won gold. Earlier, Indian shuttler Nithya Sre Sivan beat Indonesia’s Rina Marlina 21-14, 21-6 in women’s singles SH6 third-place playoff to take bronze. India has so far bagged 16 medals — 3 gold, 5 silver, 8 bronze — in this event, bringing it closer to a record haul of 19 in the 2020 Tokyo edition of the Games.

4 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 5, 2024: The Times of India

India’s athletes achieved a major milestone at the Paris Paralympics by bettering the medal haul (in numbers) from Tokyo. The medal count was given a boost by track and field athletes who secured five medals — sprinter Deepthi Sharma (bronze) in women’s 400m T20, high jumpers Sharad Kumar (silver) and Mariyappan Thangavelu (bronze) in men’s T63 finals, javelin throwers Ajeet Singh (silver), Sundar Singh Gurjar (bronze) in men’s F46 category and shot putter Sachin Khilari (silver) in the men’s F46 category.


This was followed by archer Harvinder Singh securing gold in the men’s individual recurve competition to take India’s medal count to 22. The breakup is 4 gold, 8 silver, 10 bronze. In Tokyo, India had won 19 medals (5 gold, 8 silver, 6 bronze). At the time of going to print, India was placed 15th on the medals tally.


India has also gone past the milestone of 50 medals in the Paralympics, with the current count standing at 53. From the para athletics arena alone, India has so far secured 11 medals, with para shuttlers concluding their historic campaign with five medals, including a gold won by Nitesh Kumar in men’s singles SL3 category. Shooting has fetched the country four medals. With four days of competitions still left, India should be able to add a few more medals.


Medals can be expected from high jumper Praveen Kumar, sprinter Simran, blind judoka Kapil Parmar and shooter Mona Agarwal. Praveen is a Tokyo Games silver medalist in the T64 class, while Simran is the reigning world para champion in 200m T12 event. Parmar had won silver in men’s 60kg division at the Hangzhou para Asian Games.


Mona, who won a historic bronze in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event in which Avani Lekhara claimed gold at the ongoing Games, will be gunning for her second Paralympics medal in mixed 50m air rifle with Siddharth Babu. Also, a medal is expected from mixed team archery event where Harvinder Singh will be partnering Pooja.


India’s javelin throwers continued to set the bar high with Ajeet Singh and world-record holder Sundar Singh Gurjar clinching silver and bronze with throws of 65.62m and 64.96m respectivel, in the F46 category. While Ajeet’s throw was his personal best, Sundar’s heave was his season’s best. In 2017, Ajeet suffered a train accident which resulted in the amputation of his left arm below the elbow. He was trying to save his best friend from falling off the train when he himself got caught in the wheels.

However, he didn’t give up on his passion for athletics and resumed training after four months. Ajeet made his national debut in the para athletic senior national event of 2018 held in Panchkula, where he impressed everyone with his performance. Ajeet made his international debut in 2019 at the Beijing Grand Prix in China where he won a gold in the F46 category.


High jumpers Sharad and Mariyappan earned silver and bronze in the T63 finals with jumps of 1.88m and 1.85m respectively. Sharad’s journey has been challenging — polio struck him at the age of two. His interest in high jump grew watching his brother, who was a record holder in the school. The idea of breaking his brother’s record motivated him. 


5 September

Sep 6, 2024: The Times of India

➤ Dharambir shattered the Asian record to win gold while compatriot Pranav Soorma clinched the silver as Indian club throwers dominated the men’s F51 event. The two are first to win Paralympic medals for India in club throw event


➤ Kapil Parmar bagged India’s first ever Paralympic medal in judo, clinching a bronze in the men’s 60kg (J1) after trouncing Elielton de Oliveira of Brazil 10-0 in the bronze medal contest on Thursday 


➤ With 25 medals so far — 5 gold, 9 silver, 11 bronze — India currently at 14th spot in Paris Paralympic Games

Archery

4 September

Sep 3, 2024: The Times of India

The pair of Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi clinched bronze medal in the mixed team compound archery event with a 156-155 win over Italy’s Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonnacina. The 17-year-old Sheetal is the first Indian woman to win an archery medal at the Paralympics.

6 September

Hindol Basu, Sep 5, 2024: The Times of India

Harvinder Singh became the first Indian archer to win gold at the Paralympic Games, as he defeated Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the final of the men’s individual recurve open class at the Paris Paralympics. It was India’s fourth gold at the ongoing Paris Games.


Harvinder won five back-to-back matches in a single day, showing neither fatigue nor nerves to etch his name in the history books. In the semifinals, he overturned a 1-3 deficit to triumph 7-3 over one of the favourites of the competition — Iran’s Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri.


In men’s individual recurve open class, archers shoot from a standing position at a distance of 70m at a 122cm target made up of 10 concentric circles, scoring from 10 points down to one point from the centre outwards.
 The 33-year-old hails from a remote village Ajitnagar in Haryana’s Kaithal district. He was born in a middle-class farming family and at the age of one and a half fell ill due to dengue. His parents took him to a local doctor who administered an injection. That had an adverse effect and Harvinder lost partial mobility in both his legs. Besides being a topclass archer, Harvinder has also excelled academically. He has a doctorate in economics from Punjabi University, Patiala.


It was in the university in 2010 that Harvinder first saw some archers training. Two years later he caught a broadcast of the sport from the 2012 London Paralympics, which motivated him to go to the target range himself and get trained in the nitty-gritty of archery. His passion for the sport was then honed by coaches Jiwanjot Singh Teja and Gaurav Sharma. 
Harvinder’s biggest moment in the sport before the Paris Paralympics gold came when he became the first para-archer representing India to win a medal at the Paralympic Games — bronze in the men’s individual recurve open event at the Tokyo Paralympics.


Before that, Harvinder won gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in the individual event. 


The 2018 Asian Para Games was the third international competition for Harvinder, who made his debut on the world stage just a year back.

8 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 7, 2024: The Times of India

Coming to Paris Paralympics, Harvinder Singh was told by his South Korean coach Baek Woong Ki that if he wanted to change the colour of his medal from Tokyo 2020’s bronze to gold, he should focus on taking early lead over his opponents and finishing matches off in straight sets.


The coach knew that Harvinder had shaped up well for Paris in terms of fitness, game awareness and technique and the gold looked very much in sight. All his ward needed to do was to follow his advice and approach his matches without any fuss. 


Harvinder, 33, did just that and became the first-ever Indian archer in the Paralympics history to claim gold. He had become the first Indian para archer to win a Paralympics medal in Tokyo.


“I was working on a few technical aspects. I wanted to go to Korea about 3-4 months ago but the coach was called here at SAI Sonipat centre. My coach told me that if I wanted to win gold, I needed to establish early lead over my opponents to put them under pressure. It would also give me confidence and help me focus better. I was also told that I had to finish my matches in straight sets… no need to take them to tiebreakers because then it would be anybody’s game. For me, it was about hitting each of my targets with precision and scoring as many perfect 10s as possible. One bad shot can change the result of the match. I am happy that I was able to execute what my coach taught me during training,” Harvinder said from Paris.


Harvinder, who has a disability in his legs following a medical mishap in his childhood, said he was mentally prepared to tackle the pressure at the Paralympics and hoped that his feat will inspire differently-abled athletes to take up para archery.


“I had handled the pressure before, of the semifinals and of the podium. I had it in my mind that I have to win gold. The challenge was to bring it out in terms of performance and we were successful in doing that,” he said. “The next challenge for me is to maintain this performance. I got a lot of phone calls and messages after winning the medal in Tokyo. This medal will contribute to the growth of para archery and archery in India.”


Talking about his preparations for Paris, Harvinder said, “We came to France 15 days before the event and I was shooting well. I was confident about my chances. All I needed was to implement what I had learnt in training on my competition days. Every athlete dreams of winning the gold, watching the country’s flag go high and listening to the national anthem standing on top of the podium. All that happened here and I would hope to replicate it in the competitions such as the World Championships,” he said.

Athletics (Track and field)

4 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 3, 2024: The Times of India

One was diagnosed with a neurological disorder at the age of nine which led to muscle weakness. The other lost his right hand as an eight-year-old in an accident involving a fodder-cutting machine. Both faced challenging times growing up but didn’t give up — their grit, determination and fighting spirit shone through their journeys. Nishad Kumar and Yogesh Kathuniya proved their mettle in para field events, both clinching silver. Nishad, from Badaun village in Himachal 
Pradesh, secured his second successive silver at the Paralympic Games after his season-best effort of 2.04m in the men’s high jump T47 category late on Sunday night. He had settled for a second-place finish three years ago too, at the Tokyo Paralympics, with a jump of 2.06m. Defending champion Townsend Roderick of the USA clinched the gold again after clearing 2.12m.


On Monday, Yogesh, from Haryana’s Bahadurgarh town, also claimed his second consecutive Paralympics silver. He managed his season’s best of 42.22m in the men’s F-56 discus throw final. For Yogesh, who had developed the Guillain-Barre syndrome – an autoimmune condition which causes numbness, tingling and muscle weakness – after a bad fall in a locality park, it was his fifth consecutive second-place finish since the Tokyo Paralympics. He won silver medals at the 2023, 2024 World Championships and Hangzhou para Asian Games last year.


“The event was okay, I got a silver. I will work harder to change the colour of the medal. For some time, I have been winning silver, be it Tokyo (Paralympics) or today, World Championships or Asian Games. I need to work harder. Now I want gold,” said a disappointed Yogesh, who was left wheelchair-bound in childhood. His mother Meena Devi learnt physiotherapy for three years to help her son regain enough muscle strength to walk again. 
Brazil’s Claudiney Batista dos Santos clinched gold with a Paralympic record throw of 46.86m while Konstantinos Tzounis of Greece took the bronze with a best throw of 41.32. “Today was not my day. My performance was consistent but I don’t feel that happy. My family will be happy, they must be celebrating. My coach has helped me a lot. I did very well in training. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to replicate it today,” said the 27-year-old, who is a commerce graduate from Delhi’s Kirori Mal College.


For Nishad, it was his mother Pushpa Devi — a state-level volleyball player and a discus thrower — who gave him strength and courage. “My parents have been my biggest strength. But for their fighting spirit, I wouldn’t have made it this far. My mother gave me the confidence,” said Nishad.

5 September

Hindol Basu, Sep 4, 2024: The Times of India

With just a few metres left to be covered, it seemed silver was there for the taking for India. But Turkey’s world-record holder Aysel Onder staged a stunning late surge to go past Deepthi Jeevanji and take the silver medal in the women’s 400m T20 event at the Paris Paralympics.


The gold medal was bagged by Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar with a timing of 55.16 seconds. Onder timed 55.23s for silver while Deepthi clocked 55.82s for bronze. There had been no medals for India in track running events before these Paralympic Games. Now, with Deepthi’s medal and Preethi Pal’s double bronze in the 100m and 200m T35 events, the country has three to its credit.


The T20 category in paraathletics is meant for athletes who have intellectual impairment. Deepthi was born with intellectual disability, a cognitive disease which hampered her communication and adaptive skills. Deepthi re-wrote the record books in May this year when she won the women’s 400m T20 category gold at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan with a world record time of 55.07 seconds. She became the first Indian to win gold in track events at a World Championships.


Deepthi’s timing saw her go past USA’s Breanna Clark’s record of 55.12 seconds – set during the 2023 World Championships. Aysel Onder of Turkey broke Deepthi’s world record during the heats at the ongoing Paralympics with a timing of 54.96 seconds.


Last year, at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Deepthi won gold with a then Asian record time of 56.69 seconds.


Born to daily wage labourers Jeevanji Yadhagiri and Jeevanji Dhanalaxmi in Kalleda village, around 150 kms from Hyderabad, Deepthi faced numerous challenges from a young age.


Her unusual features at birth had led relatives and acquaintances to advise Deepthi’s parents to abandon the child. Now, the same people celebrate her as a worldrecord holder and a source of inspiration. Deepthi’s talent was discovered by her school physical education teacher Biyani Venkateshwaralu at the Rural Development Foundation (RDF) School when she was in Class 9 in Warangal. She would outrace her able-bodied competitors during the 100m and 200m races.

8 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 7, 2024: The Times of India

Reigning world champion Simran Sharma kept her medal hopes alive by qualifying for the final of the women’s 200m T12 event with a timing of 25.03 seconds.

Simran topped her heat after running a brilliant race in her semifinal 3. Earlier, she had qualified for the semis with a timing of 25.41s.On Thursday, she missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the women’s 100m T12 final after clocking 12.31s in the four-player field. The T12 is for athletes with visual impairments. Simran is expected to face a tough challenge from Cuban Omara Durand Elias, who had comfortably won the gold with a timing of 11.81s in the 100m T12 final. Durand would start favourite in the 200m T12 event too.


At the Worlds in Japan’s Kobe, the 26-year-old won in 24.95s, an improvement from her previous personal best time of 25.16s. Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator where it was discovered that she was visually impaired.


Born to medical practitioner Manoj Kumar and Savita Shar- ma, Simran always knew that it was challenging to think of becoming a sportsperson. 
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympian’s tryst with the track began in her hometown Modinagar in Ghaziabad.


A meeting with her eventual husband Gajendra Singh at MM College grounds in Modinagar in 2015 helped her take up running. Gajendra worked on building her muscle strength and stamina before concentrating on her technique. There were times when they would request the Modinagar stadium to be available late in the night after he returned from work.


Canoe sprinters qualify for semis


Prachi Yadav and Yash Kumar qualified for the semifinals of women’s VL2 200m and men’s KL1 200m after finishing fourth and sixth in their respective heats.

While Prachi and Pooja Ojha clocked 1:06.83 and 1:16.09 in women’s va’a single 200m VL2 heat 1 and KL1 200m heat 2 respectively, Yash came up with a timing of 1:03.27 in men’s KL 200m heat. The semi-finals will take place on Saturday KL1 classification is for athletes with no or extremely limited trunk function and no function in the legs, while VL2 is for those with partial leg and trunk function, able to sit up straight in the kayak but may require a highbacked seat.


Dipesh finishes last in javelin throw F54 final


Dipesh Kumar finished last in the final of the men’s javelin throw F54 event after finishing at the bottom in a seven-men field with a best throw of 26.11. Dipesh, who won gold in the Khelo India Para Games at New Delhi in Dec 2023, was the last athlete to throw in his event and needed above 30 to be in contention for a podium. However, he finished well short of that mark. Athletes classified in the F54 category compete in field events from a seated position. Different disability groups compete in this class, including people with spinal cord injuries.

9 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 8, 2024: The Times of India

A gold and bronze finish at the Stade de France stadium capped India’s remarkable campaign in the track and field events at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday evening. There was the opportunity to sign off with one final flourish, and javelin thrower Navdeep Singh and sprinter Simran Sharma did just that. Navdeep had claimed the silver medal with a personal best throw of 47.32 metres in the men’s javelin throw F41 final when the competition got over. However, in a dramatic turn of events, his silver was upgraded to gold as Iran’s Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified after the final for “improper conduct”.


Minutes earlier, reigning world champion Simran won bronze in the women’s 200m T12 final with a personal best time of 24.75 seconds. India’s tally at the Games stands at 29 medals so far. An astonishing 17 medals were won by the track and field athletes.


Starting the competition with a foul, Haryana’s Navdeep came up with a throw of 46.39m in his second attempt, before he heaved the javelin to 47.32m to record his personal best. Navdeep could manage 46.05m in his fifth attempt before fouling his last to finish second. After Sadegh’s disqualification, Navdeep’s throw of 47.32m was officially adjudged the best in the competition and he was declared the gold medallist. This is the country’s first-ever gold in men’s javelin F41 category. Only six athletes had qualified for the final.


Navdeep, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, has overcome the challenges of having been born with short stature. Navdeep was inspired by his father, who was a national-level wrestler and a Gram Sachiv.
 In the women’s 200m T12 final, Simran fetched the country’s first-ever medal with her personal best effort. The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for athletes with visual impairments. 
The Delhi girl was born prematurely with visual impairment and faced numerous challenges throughout her life, including her father’s chronic illness and eventual untimely passing.

Badminton

2 September

Sep 1, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Indian shuttlers Nitesh Kumar and Sukant Kadam qualified for the semifinals of men's singles SL3 and SL4 categories respectively after recording straight-game wins in their last group matches in the Paris Paralympics. Nitesh, who had won a silver medal in the Asian Para Games last year in China, beat Mongkhon Bunsun of Thailand 21-13 21-14 to notch his third successive win and top group A.


Bunsun also qualified for the semifinals as the second-place finisher from group A. In SL3 class, which is meant for players with severe lower limb disability competing on half-width court, the top two finishers from each of the two groups qualify for the semifinals.


In the group A, Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist Manoj Sarkar, who has already bowed out of the tournament, beat Yang Jianyuan of China 21-1 21-11. Manoj had earlier lost to Bunsun and Nitesh.


In men’s singles SL4 class, meant for athletes with lower limb impairments and minor balance issues in walking or running, Sukant joined compatriot Suhas Yathiraj in the semifinals after beating Thai- land's Teamarrom Siripong 21-12 21-12 to top group B. This was his second consecutive win in the three-player group. Sukant had won a bronze in the Asian Para Games in China last year.


“It's my debut tournament. I am so happy to be qualified for the semifinals. I was well prepared for today's game. The first match was much tougher than this. And against him I have played plenty of times and I was very confident. So, I wanted to go one point at a time and then I played really well,” said Sukant. “The drift and the atmosphere of the hall is very different. I am happy that I was able to adapt well this time,” he added.
PTI

4 September

M Sudharshan, Sep 3, 2024: The Times of India

Born with an upper limb disability in the left-hand, life has always been a struggle for Thulasimathi Murugesan. But the 22-year-old Tamil Nadu girl, daughter of a daily-wage labourer, never lost hope. Thulasimathi became the first Indian woman shuttler to win a Paralympics silver medal after a dream run to the final in the SU5 category on Sunday night. In the final on Monday, Thulasimathi went down to China’s Yang Qiu Xia in straight games 17-21, 10-21. 
The Kancheepuram girl was in the lead for the majority of the first game but allowed the Chinese player to claw her way back. Xia then did not allow Thulasimathi to settle down and forced the Indian to commit er- rors in the games that followed.


The silver medal means the world to Thulasimathi with years of toil paying off. In fact, this is not her first international success. She had won three medals in the Hangzhou Para Asian Games last year and clinched silver in the World Para Badminton Championships in Bangkok earlier this year.


Despite her disability, Thulasimathi got hooked to badminton at the age of 10 as her father Murugesan, who had a passion for sports, saw the talent in her. He made her compete with able-bodied players so that she did not feel inferior.
The beginning of her badminton journey wasn’t easy. The pain of trying to overcome the physical barrier took a toll on her body, but she was not willing to give up. Slowly, things started falling into place and Thulasi- mathi started fulfilling her potential.


The Paralympics silver was a moment to savour for not only Thulasimathi but also her family members. Her elder sister Kiruttigha Murugesan, who has been a guiding light for her, said the family is still trying to process the moment of success. 


“We do not know how to handle the moment emotionally. We have struggled a lot to support her as we could not afford to buy a proper racket. We used to play with used rackets, but it was our father’s dream to make Thulasimathi play in the Paralympics. She has made his dream come true,” Kiruttigha told TOI.


“My father was a sportsperson, and he was the first coach of Thulasimathi. He was a daily-wage worker, and we lived in a kutcha (small) house. 
 “During our struggles, none of our relatives were there to support us. 


“The relatives did not like girls playing sports and they said we would not be able to do well in academics if we kept playing regularly. But to prove them wrong, we took care of our studies while playing sports,” Kiruttigha, who was often Thulasimathi’s doubles partner in the initial days, said.


Thulasimathi had to overcome tough times in her bid to qualify for the quadrennial extravaganza. She met with an accident at the start of the Paralympic cycle in 2022 and had to be in bed rest for close to three months. After complete recovery she started to compete in BWF events.


A month before the Paralympics, the TN player suffered multiple injuries. A hamstring pull forced her to sit out of training for a week and this affected her mentally.

“Thulasimathi overcame injuries in time and was back on track both physically and mentally,” Kiruttigha said.
A turning point in her career came at the start of 2023, when she joined the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad after winning medals in national meets. Thulasimathi is a veterinary science student and is in her third year of graduation.


Bronze for Manisha


Another Indian, Manisha Ramadass, secured bronze in the women’s singles SU5 category after beating Cathrine Rosengren of Denmark, seeded third, 21-12 21-8.

Details

Sep 3, 2024: The Times of India

Suhas Yathiraj secured his second successive silver medal in the men’s singles SL4, losing 9-21, 13-21 to Lucas Mazur of France. The 41-year-old, a 2007 batch IAS officer, looked tentative and was no match for the formidable Frenchman.

September 5

Sabi Hussain, Sep 4, 2024: The Times of India

New Delhi : Nithya Sre Sivan grew up dreaming to become a cricketer one day, inspired by her brother’s involvement as a district player and her father’s passion for the game.


The 19-year-old, from Hosur in Tamil Nadu, however, was fascinated after watching the 2016 Rio Paralympics live on TV. During the Covid-induced lockdown in 2020, Nithya discovered her love for para badminton thanks to her father’s colleague, who is a state-level para badminton player.

Nithya’s father ensured her participation in the Tamil Nadu para badminton state championship. As her interest in the game grew, she started reading articles on Chinese able-bodied badminton superstar Lin Dan — the two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion — which ignited her desire to pursue the sport seriously.


After securing multiple world para badminton championships medals in the years ahead and winning three bronze medals in women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles at the Hangzhou para Asian Games last year, Nithya tasted ultimate glory on her debut in the Paralympics Games when she won bronze after beating Indonesia’s Rina Marlina 21-14, 21-6 in a lop-sided women’s singles SH6 third-place playoff match. Nithya, who came into the tournament as top seed, dominated from the start and finished the contest in just 23 minutes. Nithya went into the bronze medal match after she was defeated by China’s Lin Shuangbao 21-13, 21-19 in the semis.


Athletes competing in the SH6 class have short stature and play in standing positions. Nithya’s bronze was India’s fifth in badminton, helping the country to record its best-ever finish in badminton events at the Paralympics. India had won four medals in badminton at the Tokyo Paralympics.


 Avani finishes fifth in women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final


Avani Lekhara missed out on a second medal after finishing fifth in the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 competition on Tuesday. Avani shot a total of 420.6 across the three stages of kneeling, prone and standing in a strong eight-woman field at the Chateauroux shooting range. Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop won gold with 456.5 while Slovakian Veronika Vadovicova claimed silver with 456.1 points. China’s Zhang settled for bronze totalling 446. 
The 22-year-old Indian had entered the final after finishing the qualification in seventh place. Avani shot a total of 1159 in the qualification. The other Indian shooter, Mona Agarwal, failed to qualify for the final, ending in the 13th position. She aggregated 1147.


Bhagyashri Jadhav fifth in F34 women’s shot put


India’s Bhagyashri Jadhav finished fifth in the women’s shot put F34 final after producing a throw of 7.28m, which wasn’t enough. China’s Lijuan Zou won ]gold with a season best of 9.14m while Poland’s Lucyna Kornobys claimed silver with an effort of 8.33m. Jadhav, 39, who was making her second Paralympics appearance, had lost the use of her legs due to an accident in 2006. With encouragement from friends and family, she took up para sport.


Archer Pooja Jatyan loses to Wu of China, misses semis berth,


Pooja Jatyan slipped from a two-set lead to go down to heavyweight Wu Chunyan of China 4-6 in the women’s recurve open quarterfinals.

Pooja had a superb start as she dropped just two points to take the first set and raced to 4-0 lead, winning a tight second set 25-24. Needing just one set to make her maiden semis, Pooja, however, faltered with a 7 in her final arrow of the third set as the Chinese first levelled the scoreline at 4-4 before delivering a knockout punch when she won the decider 27-24, with a perfect 10 in her final arrow.

Details

Sep 4, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Para-shuttler Suhas Yathiraj is an emotional mess after his second successive Paralympic Games silver. A part of him is proud of the achievement but then he is also grappling with feelings of “sadness and is appointment” at missing out on gold. The 41-year-old went into the ongoing Games as world No. 1 and was expected to fetch gold in the men’s singles SL4 category. However, he ended with a silver, going down in straight games to Lucas Mazur of France in the summit clash.
“Coming here as world No. 1 and as world champion, there was pressure on me. I too expected that I will do well here. Ideally I would have liked to win gold medal, which is every player’s dream,” he said on Tuesday. “Winning the silver is a mixed feeling. There is sadness and disappointment of missing the gold. But when the feeling sinks in then you will realise qualifying for Paralympics and representing your country was a big thing. And winning the silver is a proud moment and I feel extremely humbled and grateful,” added the 2007 batch IAS officer.


Suhas looked tentative in the summit clash and was no match for the formidable Frenchman, losing 9-21 13-21. It was the same opponent against whom the Indian had lost in the Tokyo Paralympics final. Asked to compare the two silver medals, Suhas said: “Earlier we didn’t have the belief. Now there are expectations.” 
PTI

Club throw

7 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 6, 2024: The Times of India

Amit Kumar Saroha — a four-time Paralympian — watched in dismay as his protégé Dharambir fouled four of his first six throws in the men’s club throw F51 final. Saroha was also participating in the event as the third Indian competitor alongside Dharambir and Pranav Soorma. After a few minutes, Saroha was beaming, the smile refusing to leave his face as Dharambir won the gold and Soorma clinched silver to make it a historic 1-2 for India. 
Saroha, who introduced club throw sport to India in 2010 and competed in the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics without winning a medal, was hoping that his ward Dharambir would fulfill his dream of holding and kissing a Games medal. Saroha had narrowly missed out on a podium finish, coming a close fourth in Rio.


More than his own throws, Saroha was eagerly following the distance travelled by Dharambir’s club. The latter’s first four attempts either hit the net surrounding the competition area or went outside the throwing sector. 
 From a distance, Dharambir looked at his guru’s (mentor) tense face. He paused for a while, took a deep breath, adjusted the harness strapped to his throwing chair and firmed up his grip on the club for his last two attempts. 
Then came the massive throw which stayed unmatched by his opponents throughout the next three hours of the competition. In his fifth attempt, the 35-year-old threw a massive 34.92m to not only claim a historic gold for the country but also break the Asian record. He looked back at Saroha in jubilation. Saroha, 39, responded with a wide grin.


Dharambir, the 2022 Hangzhou Para Asian Games silver medallist, had previously competed at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics, finishing ninth and eighth respectively.
In contrast to Dharambir’s disastrous start, Soorma, 29, started with a bang – he had an impressive first throw of 34.59m which was enough to ensure a silver.


Before Paris, no Indian had won a medal in club throw at any of the Paralympics editions. Ser- bian great Zeljko Dimitrijevic bagged the bronze with a throw of 34.18m in his second attempt. Saroha, a 2017 Para World Championship silver medallist, finished last with a best effort of 23.96m.
Dharambir faced a life-altering accident when a misjudged dive into a canal left him paralyzed from waist down. Para sports gave a new direction to his life. He was introduced to it by Saroha who enrolled him in his academy in Haryana’s Sonepat. Within two years, Dharambir qualified for the Rio Games, marking the beginning of a successful career. He has since earned multiple medals for India, including a silver at the Hangzhou Para Asiad.


“I don’t have words to explain the joy and the emotions. As quadriplegic athletes, we are not able to hold the club properly, so we use a sticky gum in our fingers. Sometimes it is not in our control how it will be released from the hand,” Dharambir said.


“I was not able to get it right in the first four throws. This happens a lot with me. But I was confident that one straight throw would bring rewards, and it did. After my fifth throw, I knew I would win a medal but wasn’t sure which colour. In the end it was my day. I dedicate this gold to my guru Saroha. His blessings have been with me since the start and that is why I was able to win this medal.” 
Soorma, a cricket and roller hockey enthusiast, was just a teenager when a cement sheet fell on his head at the age of 16. It caused a severe spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed. He rediscovered his love for sports through paraathletics and soon got success, winning a silver medal at the 2019 Beijing Grand Prix. Then came the gold at Serbia Open 2023 and both gold and silver at the Tunisia Grand Prix 2022. He also produced a record-setting throw at the Hangzhou Asiad, where he won gold. 


KNOW CLUB THROW


Equivalent to the hammer throw for the able-bodied. In this event, competitors throw a wooden club as far as possible from their throwing chair, relying on their shoulders and arms to generate power.

High jump

8 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 7, 2024: The Times of India

Praveen Kumar set an Asian record with a career-best jump of 2.08m in the men’s high jump T64 event at the Paris Paralympics to finish on top of the podium in the six-man field. In Tokyo 2020, Praveen had finished second with his then personal best jump of 2.07m.


“Praveen had met with an injury three months back during his practice period, which made it very difficult for him. But with hard work and determination, he could make this history,” his coach Satyapal Singh said.


Praveen became the third high jumper to medal at Paris after Sharad Kumar’s silver and Mariyappan Thagavelu’s bronze in the men’s high jump T63 event.
Praveen’s heroic effort gave India its sixth gold at the Paris Games, with the country surpassing its Tokyo gold tally of five. India has so far won 26 medals — six gold, nine silver and 11 bronze — and jumped to the 14th spot in medals tally.


Praveen had opted to start from 1.89m and after clearing his seven jumps, including the medal-winning 2.08m, he raised the bar to 2.10m. Both Praveen and Derek went for the mark but failed to clear it. “It’s a great feeling standing on the podium with the national anthem being played. I am happy with my performance. I dedicate my gold medal to my coach, my parents, and my country. I was looking to clear the 2.10m mark because my coaches had told me to go for it. It would have been great if I had succeeded,” Praveen said after his win.


“At the World para-athletics championships, I hurt my take-off leg and was unable to move properly. We got the MRI done and scans weren’t promising. Competing in Paris was looking difficult then. I would like to credit my coaches, family and govt for supporting me in my hour of crisis,” he added.
Praveen, born with a short leg, initially struggled with feeling of inferiority compared to his peers. To combat his insecurity, he turned to sports and discovered a passion for volleyball. However, his life took a pivotal turn when he participated in a high jump event at an able-bodied athletics competition, which exposed him to the possibilities available for athletes with disabilities.
Coach Singh recognised Praveen’s potential, and he shifted his ward’s focus to high jump. This decision proved fruitful, as he achieved remarkable success on the international stage, notably becoming the youngest para-athlete to win a medal in Tokyo 2020.


Later, he went on to win gold at the Hangzhou Para Asian Games, breaking the Asian record with a jump of 2.05m. 


His other accolades include a silver at the World para-athletics junior championship in 2019 in Nottwil and gold with an Asian record at the World para-athletics FAZZA Grand Prix in 2021 in Dubai. Most recently, he won the bronze medal at the Worlds.

Javelin

4 September

Hindol Basu, Sep 3, 2024: The Times of India

Sumit Antil stayed true to his reputation in Paris. He defended his F64 javelin throw title with a record-breaking performance. The 26-year-old broke his own Paralympics record, which he had set three years back in Tokyo, by hurling the spear to 70.59m in his second throw.


His first throw – 69.11m – was record-breaking. He had won the Tokyo gold with a throw of 68.55m. Just like Neeraj Chopra, who he is often likened to, Sumit had the gold medal in his pocket in his first couple of throws. 
Born in Khewra village in Haryana’s Sonipat district, Sumit suffered an early-life tragedy when he lost his father at the age of 7. On January 5, 2015, he suffered a life-altering accident at the age of 16 when the motorcycle that he was riding was hit by a speeding truck.


His left leg below the knee had to be amputated. He was taken to the India Air Force Hospital where the surgeons decided that the limb was no longer salvageable, and amputation was necessary. He was later admitted to the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune where he was given a prosthesis.


An aspiring wrestler before the incident, Sumit had to abandon that plan after the amputation. He was introduced to paraathletics and started training in para javelin throw in 2017 under coach Nitin Jaiswal in New Delhi. He then trained under javelin coach Naval Singh in 2018.


Sumit took part in the 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Italy and won a silver medal in the F64 category with a world record throw of 60.45m. He then won the silver at World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.
 Sumit’s crowning moment came in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where he won the gold medal with another world record throw of 68.55m. He broke that record yet again in the Indian Open National Para Athletics Championships in the same year with a throw of 68.62m.


Sumit established himself as one of the best para javelin throwers in the world by continuing his habit of breaking the world record each time he competed. In the 2023 Para World Cham- pionships in Paris, he clinched a gold medal and registered a new world record throw of 70.83m.


Sumit then broke his own record again in the gold medalwinning feat at the 2022 Asian Para Games by registering a throw of 73.29m.

Sumit Antil set a new Paralympic record at the Paris Games with an impressive throw of 70.59m. The re cord-breaking flight of the spear made Sumit the first Indian man and second from the country to defend the Paralympics title.

Sumit joins an exclusive three-member club of Indians who have won two Paralympics gold — para shooter Avani Lekhara and current Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Devendra Jhajharia, who won the javelin throw F46 gold in 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Games. 

Judo

7 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 6, 2024: The Times of India

Judoka Kapil Parmar on Thursday created history as he won India’s first-ever medal in judo at a Paralympic Games. It was the first time that an Indian judoka had qualified in the discipline for the Games. Parmar scored an emphatic win over Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira in the men’s J1 60kg bronze medal playoff on Thursday. J1 class in para judo is for the athletes who suffer from no to very low visual activity. Athletes in this category wear red circles to indicate that they may need guided support before, during and after a contest.


Parmar, who hails from a small village named Shivor in Madhya Pradesh, blanked his opponent 10-0. Earlier, the 24-year-old was beaten by Iranian S Banitaba Khorram Abadi 10-0 in the semifinals. The Indian had defeated Venezuela’s Marco Dennis Blanco 10-0 in his quarterfinal clash.


Parmar, a silver medallist at the Hangzhou Para Asian Games, suffered a life-altering accident in his childhood. While playing in the fields of his village, he touched a water pump and suffered a severe electric shock. He was found unconscious by a villager and was taken to the hospital in Bhopal where he remained in coma for six months.


The shock resulted in loss of vision in both his eyes. Despite this setback, Parmar’s love for judo, which he enjoyed playing in school, never waned. Following his recovery, doctors advised him to gain weight. It was during this period that he discovered blind judo. His mentor and coaches, Bhagwan Das and Manoj, motivated him to pursue the sport competitively.


Parmar, whose father works as a taxi driver, has faced numerous hardships throughout his life. He and his elder brother Lalit ran a tea stall to support the family. Lalit gave financial support to Kapil and helped him pursue his passion for judo.


Another Indian in the fray, Kokila, failed to make the medal round after losing to Kazakhstan’s Akmaral Nauatbek 0-10 in her women’s 48kg J2 class quarterfinals. Later, she was defeated by Ukraine’s Yuliia Ivanytska by the same scoreline in her J2 Final of Repechage A, a contest wherein she was handed three yellow cards while her opponent got two.


In judo, yellow cards are given for minor violations such as passivity or using a technique that might hinder the opponent or cause injury. In the J2 category, the competing athletes have partial eyesight.

Rowing

2 September

Sep 2, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Indian rowers Anita and Narayana Konganapalle managed a third-place finish in the mixed PR3 double sculls event at the Paris Paralympics here on Saturday. The pair finished the race with a timing of 7:54.33s, behind Ukraine (7:29.24s) and Great Britain (7:20.53s).


The Indian duo will now be competing in Final B, which is for 7 to 12th spot. During the heat, the Indian pair had finished fifth with a timing of 8:06.84s. Anita lost her leg in a road accident when she was 18-years-old.Konganapalle lost his leg in a mine blast while on duty in J&K in 2015. 
PTI

Shooting

2 September

Tushar Dutt, Sep 1, 2024: The Times of India

Pune : Rubina Francis added one more medal to India’s tally in Paris. The shooter clinched bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event (SH1) category in the Paralympic Games on Saturday. Rubina had finished seventh in Tokyo three years ago. Rubina shot 211.1 and edged out Tokyo Paralympic Games silver medallist Aysegul Pehlivanlar of Turkey to win the third position in her second Paralympic participation.


Iran’s Sareh Javanmardi (236.8) won in Paris for the second successive gold. Turkey’s Aysel Ozgan settled with the silver at 231.1. Jabalpur based Rubina (556 points) qualified for the final in seventh place. “This medal brings a lot of satisfaction since I really worked hard for it. I didn’t have a good qualification round as I was seventh to qualify for the final. I spoke to my coach after the qualification round and also kept eye-contact with him during the final. He helped me feel relaxed and told me to just focus on my routine and it worked,” Rubina, 25, told TOI after her match.


There is a Rana connec- tion between India’s shooting medals at Olympics and Paralympics. For, Rubina trains with Subhash Rana, younger brother of Jaspal Rana. Jaspal coached Manu Bhaker for her twin bronze medals in the Paris Olympics. Rubina felt the sport of shooting has been a lifechanging experience for her. “Before I took up the sport, I had doubts about myself, and my life, but after I started shooting, all my doubts were gone and I knew what I was capable of,” she said. “I feel my parents have made a lot of sacrifices to make me whatever I am today and I was fortunate to get support from many people, organisations like the Gun For Glory, MP State Shooting Academy and the govt.”


Rubina was born with leg dysfunction, but never made it her limitation in her pursuit of achieving sporting excellence. Before the Paralympic bronze, Rubina had won World Cup silver medals and Asian Para Games bronze in 2022. She started shooting in 2015 after she was spotted by Gagan Narang’s Gun For Glory academy through a school talent search.


“When she got selected, we didn’t have any knowledge about the sport, but the academy took care of all her training expenses. She later joined the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy and trained there for some years. Now she trains with Subhash Rana in Delhi,” Rubina’s father Simon, who is a mechanic, told TOI.


The proud father said that shooting helped Rubina’s perspective towards life. “She has always been a quiet child, but after she started shooting, she grew more confident and started looking at things in a more positive way. “Earlier, I used to accompany her everywhere she wanted to go, but after she started shooting, she got confidence of managing her things by herself. Now she can travel alone and manage her training and stay by herself.”

Shot put

6 September

Sabi Hussain, Sep 5, 2024: The Times of India

New Delhi : World para athletics champion Sachin Sarjerao Khilari is a man of many talents. Born in a farmer’s family in Karagani village of Maharashtra’s Sangli district, Sachin is a mechanical engineer who helps students prepare for state and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams. He also works as a visiting faculty member at various institutions in Mumbai and Pune.


On Wednesday, the 34-year-old added another feather to his cap when he clinched a silver medal in men’s shot put F46 event with an Asian record distance of 16.32m at the Paris Paralympics. He achieved his personal best in the second attempt, which was also his best throw of the day, to better his Asian record of 16.30m which he had set during his goldwinning campaign at the para athletics Worlds in Japan in May. 
 Canada’s Greg Stewart defended his Tokyo Paralympics gold with a throw of 16.38m. Luka Bakovic of Croatia took the bronze with 16.27m.


“We (Indians) are warriors. We are always well prepared to give our best on the big stage. We are comfortable during mega events, which I think gives us an advantage,” Sachin said after his event. Ever since he started competing as an active para athlete in domestic and international competitions, Sachin has sported a headgear which he says is “a part of my warrior’s uniform”. “It’s a warrior’s sign which brings a lot of positive energy. It has worked for me every time I have worn it. I wore it first on my coach’s suggestion. I now have a Paralympics medal,” he said.


Talking about the final, Sachin sounded a bit dissatisfied with his performance as he was vying for gold. “I wanted the gold but it did not happen. It’s my best distance but I am not satisfied. I feel I could have done better. It was not my day. I made small mistakes in my technique. I will work harder and I hope to beat him (Stewart) the next time.”


A tragic accident when he fell off his bicycle on way to school left Sachin with a disability in his left hand. Multiple surgeries failed to entirely repair his hand due to gangrene and muscle atrophy. The life-altering injury wasn’t enough. Sachin lost his mother at a young age which left his father to perform both parental roles. Encouraged by his father, Sachin accepted his impairment and later excelled in both physical and academic pursuits. 
He took up javelin while he was studying engineering but a shoulder injury during competition forced him to switch to shot put. He got introduced to para sports in 2015 and participated in Jaipur National Games in 2017 where he won gold. Later, he was introduced to veteran para athletics coach Satyanarayana who supported him in improving his game and helped him to switch full-time to athletics by 2019.


● F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position.

9 September

Sep 8, 2024: The Times of India

Nagaland’s Hokato Hotozhe Sema grew up on tales of bravery and sacrifices of soldiers. At 17, he joined Indian Army’s 9 Assam Regiment and was posted in J&K. On Oct 14, 2002, he lost his left leg below the knee to a mine blast during a counter-infiltration operation.


Sema (40), now a Naib Subedar, has found redemption in athletics, winning bronze in men’s shot put at Paris Paralympics with a career-best throw of 14.65m in F57 category, report Sabi Hussain & Prabin Kalita. His is the first medal won by an athlete from Nagaland, at Olympics or Paralympics.

A summing up

Sabi Hussain, Sep 9, 2024: The Times of India

New Delhi : India, it’s time to celebrate the success of your differently-abled athletes. Cheer for them, love and respect them and take pride in every single medal won by them at the Paralympic Games, which concluded with a glittering closing ceremony on Sunday night in Paris.


In fact, jubilation, accolades and admiration shouldn’t only be restricted to medal winners, but for all those Indian para athletes who came close to finishing on the podium and for the entire 84-member strong contingent which wrote compelling stories of grit and determination and overcame incredible odds.


Paris has given hope for a brighter future and has ensured that India’s para athletes are no pushovers when it comes to performing on the biggest stage.


This success is the result of concerted efforts put in by the athletes themselves and by the govt, Paralympics Committee of India (PCI), coaches and support staff alike. From London 2012’s one medal to Paris 2024’s 29, including seven gold, India’s para sports ecosystem has come a long way and it’s for all the stakeholders involved to maintain the momentum going forward.


India’s 29 medals – seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze – placed it 18th among the participating nations. The country’s track and field athletes shone bright, winning 17 medals including three gold. They were followed by badminton players (5 medals), shooters (4) and archers (2).
Out of 29, women athletes won an impressive 10 medals – four in athletics and three each in badminton and shooting.


Records shattering performances


India’s para athletes not only just won medals but broke several world, Paralympics and Asian records in Paris.
In archery, Sheetal Devi surpassed the previous world (698) and Paralympic (694) record in the women’s compound open ranking round with a score of 703. She, however, missed setting the new world and Paralympic record by mere one point (New WR & PR704).


In athletics, Sumit Antil surpassed his own Paralympic record of 68.55m thrice to set the new PR at 70.59m in the men’s javelin F64 event. Sharad Kumar set the new Paralympic record in T42 category, bettering the old PR (1.86m) with the best jump of 1.88m in the men’s high jump T63 event. Dharambir set the new Asian record with the best throw of 34.92m in the men’s club throw F51 event while Sachin Khilari rewrote the Asian record with the best effort of 16.32m in the men’s shot put F46 event.


In shooting, Avani Lekhara surpassed her own Paralympic record (PR) of 249.6 points by 0.1 point, to set the new PR of 249.7 in R2 – women’s 10m air rifle SH1 (final) event.


Youngest and oldest


Debutant Sheetal (para archery) became the youngest-ever medallist from India at 17 years, 7 months and 23 days. Similarly, Dharambir became the oldest Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, achieving this feat at the age of 35 years and 7 months, surpassing Devendra Jhajharia, who was 35 years and 3 months old when he won gold at the Rio Paralympics 2016.


Record female participation

Paris Paralympics also saw India sending a record number of female participants. Out of 84 members, 32 were women athletes. Female athletes won a total of 10 medals – one gold, one silver and eight bronze. 
There were as many as seven female debutants in Paris – Thulasimathi Murugesan (silver, badminton), Sheetal Devi (bronze, archery), Manisha Ramadass (bronze, badminton), Nithya Sre (bronze, badminton), Preethi Pal (two bronze, athletics), Deepthi Jeevanji (bronze, athletics) and Mona Agarwal (bronze, shooting).

FIRST-EVER/ BEST-EVER PERFORMANCE

===Badminton===
 ● Debutant Nitesh Kumar won the gold in SL3, to retain top spot in this event from previous editions 
● Suhas L Yathiraj won silver to become the only Indian parashuttler to win back-to-back medals Thulasimathi & Manisha achieved India’s first-ever double podium finish by women


===Archery===
 ● Harvinder Singh clinched the gold in the men’s individual recurve open, becoming India’s first-ever Paralympic champion in archery


● Sheetal Devi & Rakesh Kumar won the bronze, India’s first-ever medal in compound archery as well as a mixed team event


===Shooting===
 ● Avani Lekhara became the first Indian (male/female) para-shooter to successfully defend her gold in the Paralympic or Olympic Games


● Manish Narwal won silver to become the first Indian male parashooter to win back-to-back medals in different editions of Paralympics
===Athletics===


● Preeti Pal made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in a track event at the Paralympics


● India achieved its first double podium finish in athletics at the Paris Paralympics, with Ajeet Singh and Sundar S Gurjar winning silver and bronze respectively in the men’s javelin throw F46 event


● India achieved its first-ever top 2 finish in athletics with Dharambir and Pranav Soorma, winning gold and silver respectively in the men’s club throw F51 event


Medals Missed


Seven Indians came close to winning medals, finishing 4th place: Rakesh Kumar (individual compound archery), Sandeep (javelin throw F64), Sivarajan Solaimalai & Nithya Sre (mixed doubles SH-6 badminton), Sukant Kadam (men’s singles SL-4 badminton), Shailesh Kumar (men’s high jump T63), Harvinder Singh & Pooja (mixed team recurve open) and Simran (women’s 100m T35)