Paralympians conclude with India’s highest medal victory.

India’s Paralympic athletes shone in Paris, capturing 29 medals to Tokyo’s 19. Athletics dominated with 17 medals, demonstrating India’s growing power.

Mumbai: Hours before the closing ceremony on Sunday, a big group of Indian Paralympians remained in Paris dined at an Indian restaurant. It was well deserved, arriving after a frenzy of days spent authoring an Indian high in Paris. If the Tokyo Paralympics of 2021 signaled India’s resolve to create a name at the summit of para sports, the Paris Paralympics of 2024 marked a declaration of new heights. The days of India winning one or four medals in the Paralympics over the last decade are over. India is already punching well into double-digit medals while comfortably reducing their previous total.

India’s 19-medal performance in Tokyo spurred hitherto unseen enthusiasm and support for Paralympic sports in the country. In that way, Paris served as a litmus test to see if it could transfer into a more glowing recognition of India’s rising strength.

The limit was set at 25, at least among those in the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), which is now led by three-time Paralympic medalist Devendra Jhajharia. India’s Paralympians scaled it with the poise of shooter Avani Lekhara, the efficiency of high jumper Praveen Kumar, and the zeal of javelin thrower Navdeep Singh, winning 29 medals. Not only has the contingent improved its total tally from Tokyo, but it has also increased its gold medal count (7 out of 5).

Athletics takes the cream.

Athletics, as in Tokyo, contributed for a significant portion of India’s delectable medal cake. It has won 17 of 29 medals and four of the top seven positions. Even there, there are several remarkable firsts.

India has a history of producing Paralympic medalists in field events, but in Paris, a couple of its athletes lit up the Stade de France track. Preethi Pal’s 100m T35 bronze medal was a nice beginning, but it didn’t end there. Preethi followed up with another bronze medal in the 200m (T35), while Simran Sharma finished third in the 200m T12.

Javelin throw and jumps have historically been India’s strongest suits at the Paralympics. In Paris, club throwers Dharambir and Pranav Soorma led the country to an unprecedented gold-silver finish.

Archery, Judo, and first-timers

Archery and India share a history of grief and disappointment in global multi-sport championships. At the Paris Paralympics, there were a few close calls, but there were also some big hits. Harvinder Singh, for example, became the first Indian archer to win a gold medal in recurve after overcoming numerous challenges. Sheetal Devi, for example, went where no Indian woman archer had gone before – on the podium, alongside Rakesh Kumar, with the mixed team compound bronze — and did so after overcoming a dip in her individual event performance.

Kapil Parmar, the first Indian to win a medal in judo, also made Paralympic history by winning bronze.

Sheetal, at the age of 17, stole the show as one of India’s first Paralympic athletes. Others also shone. Hokato Hotozhe Sema had a spectacular debut at the age of 40, winning bronze in the shot put (F57). Nitesh Kumar (gold), Thulasimathi Murugesan (silver), and Manisha Ramadass (bronze) contributed significantly to badminton’s medal count in their debut appearance on the largest platform.

Repeaters to the fore.

As many as 11 Indians duplicated their medals from Tokyo with another in Paris. Leading this group of regular performers were two of the country’s most well-known Paralympic athletes, who were defending their titles. Sumit Antil, a javelin thrower, achieved it with little hassle, reinforcing the world record holder’s status as the finest in his F64 category. Shooter Avani had a more dramatic defence, as the 22-year-old demonstrated maturity and class by winning gold in the 10m air rifle SH1 category.

Several Tokyo-Paris medalists improved their medal colours: Praveen (high jump, silver to gold), Harvinder (archery, bronze to gold), and Sharad Kumar (high jump, bronze to silver). Some athletes, including shuttler Suhas Yathiraj, high jumper Nishad Kumar, and discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya, kept their silver medals.

Paralympians

However, in a reflection of the country’s Paralympic athletes’ desire for more in the future, some were not even satisfied with the silver lining.

“I have to break this trend and change the silver medal into gold medal,” Kathuniya told the press.

Room for improvement

Despite India’s larger stock of medals and stronger position in the medals table, there may be potential for growth. Table tennis, which won several medals in Tokyo, came up empty-handed in Paris. Badminton’s total medal count increased from four to five, however the gold count decreased from two to one. India could also look into additional sports to participate in, with the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics in mind. For example, India had only one swimmer, yet China won the majority of the 220 medals.

 

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