“This shows dedication, passion….”: PM Modi on India’s record-breaking performance at Paris Paralympics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed happiness as the Indian contingent at the ongoing Paris Paralympics crossed the medal tally of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, saying that the accomplishment shows the dedication, passion and determination of the athletes.

The Indian contingent has added 21 medals to its constantly growing tally (three gold, eight silver and ten bronze) and will have an opportunity to further extend its record medal haul in a single edition of the Paralympics.

In the Tokyo edition (August 24 – September 5, 2021), India recorded its best-ever medal haul with a tally of 19, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze.

PM Modi took to X and wrote, “India is proud and delighted! Our incredible Paralympic contingent has set a record for the highest-ever medals for our country in any Paralympics. This shows the dedication, passion and determination of our athletes. Congrats to each and every player.”

Para-athlete Sachin Khilari on Wednesday clinched the silver medal in the men’s shot put F46 final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics. Sachin secured the second spot with a 16.32-metre throw, which is also the area best (AB). However, the Indian athlete was unlucky to miss the top spot after getting short of a 0.6m.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Indian contingent won 13 medals for the country, jumping the medal tally to a record 20 consisting of three gold, seven silver and 10 bronze medals.

Para-shooter Avani Lekhara clinched India’s first gold at the Paris Paralympics after dominating the final of the women’s 10m air rifle. She ensured her place at the top of the podium with 249.7 points, which also marked her personal best performance in the event. Mona Agarwal snatched the bronze medal in the same event.

Manish Narwal clinched the silver medal after securing 234.9 points in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 pistol. He started the match on a good note, but in the middle, the Indian shooter dropped to the sixth. However, he didn’t lose hope and ended the event with a silver medal around his neck.

Rubina Francis finished third and bagged a bronze medal in the P2 – women’s 10m air pistol SH-1 final.

Preeti Pal secured third place and won the bronze medal after clocking 14.21s in the 100m T35 event. She got her hands on her second medal in the Paralympics in the 200m T-35 race. Preeti delivered an eye-catching performance that saw her take away the bronze medal.

Athlete Nishad Kumar won the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event with a leap of 2.04m.

Yogesh Kathuniya bagged the eighth medal for team India following his silver medal triumph in the men’s discus throw F56 final.

Indian archery pair of Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi clinched the bronze medal in the mixed team compound event with a 156-155 win over Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonnacina of Italy.

India javelin thrower Sumit Antil reigned supreme and successfully defended his gold at the Paris Paralympics with a record-breaking throw on Monday. In the men’s javelin throw F64 final, the defending champion broke his record at the Paralympics twice to clinch India’s third gold in the ongoing marquee event in Paris.

Indian para-shuttler Nithya Sre Sivan clinched a bronze medal in the women’s SH6 category. She defeated Indonesia’s Rina Marlina 21-14 and 21-6 on Monday and got her first-ever medal at the Paralympics.

India tasted gold medal success in para-badminton after shuttler Nitesh outplayed Great Britain’s second-seeded Daniel Bethell to clinch a gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 category. In a game that went right down to the wire, Nitesh ousted Daniel with a 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 win to claim his place at the top of the podium.

Shuttler Thulasimathi Murugesan lost to China’s Yang Qiu Xia 21-17, 21-10 and secured a silver medal in the women’s singles SU5. In the bronze medal match of the same category, Manisha outclassed Denmark’s Cathrine Rosengren 21-12, 21-8. The Indian player dominated throughout the match, securing another medal for the nation.

In the men’s singles SL4 category, France’s Lucas Mazur completely ousted the Indian Suhas with a straight-set win in the gold medal match. The para-shuttler went down against the French player after enduring a 9-21, 13-21 defeat.

Indian para-sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji bagged the 16th medal for India as she won the bronze on Tuesday in the women’s 400m T20 final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics 2024.

Para-athletes Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu booked a double podium finish for India in the men’s high jump T6 final at the Paris Paralympics. With a leap of 1.88m, Sharad got his hands on a silver medal. His compatriot, Mariyappan, settled for the bronze medal with a leap of 1.85m. America’s Ezra Frech rewrote the Paralympic record to take away the gold with 1.94m, a blockbuster performance.

It was raining double podium finishes for India in athletics after Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar claimed silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s javelin throw F46 event at Stade de France at the Paris Paralympics.

Ajeet, in the last gasp, pushed his name for a silver with a personal best throw of 65.62m. His compatriot Sundar, just like in the Tokyo edition, settled for bronze in Paris with his season-best throw of 64.96m. Cuba’s Guillermo ended up at the top of the podium with a humongous effort of 66.14m.