Paris Paralympics India: Recap of the Indian contingent's stellar progress and wins so far, future medal prospects, and more

India's progress at the 2024 Paris Paralympics has been nothing short of historic, with the country achieving its best-ever performance so far. By early September, India had secured 24 medals — five gold, nine silver, and ten bronze — outperforming its previous record set during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Five gold medals

• 22-year-old Avani Lekhara continued her remarkable run in para-shooting by winning gold in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 category, solidifying her status as one of India’s top Paralympic athletes.
• 33-year-old Harvinder Singh made history in para-archery, becoming the first Indian archer to win a Paralympic gold medal. His performance in the individual recurve open event was outstanding.
• 35-year-old Dharambir set an Asian record in the seated F51 club throw event, clinching gold with a throw of 34.92 metres.
• 26-year-old Sumit Antil delivered an outstanding performance in the F64 javelin throw event, retaining his Tokyo title and securing another gold for India. His throw length of 70.59 metre broke all previous Paralympic records.
• 29-year-old Nitesh Kumar won gold in SL3 men’s singles para-badminton, continuing India's dominance in this sport since it debuted in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Silver galore

As for the second-place category, we have more than a few fabulous contenders. For starters, 24-year-old Nishad Kumar delivered a strong performance in the men’s T47 high jump, winning silver with a jump of 2.04 metres, improving on his bronze from Tokyo. Additionally, 27-year-old Yogesh Kathuniya claimed silver in the F56 men’s discus throw with a best attempt of 44.38 metres.

34-year-old Sachin Sarjerao Khilari added another silver to India’s tally in the men’s shot put F46 event. He achieved a throw of 16.32 metres, narrowly missing the gold but setting a new Asian record

Bronze, but not the least

20-year-old Deepthi Jeevanji made history by becoming the first intellectually impaired Indian athlete to win a Paralympic medal. She earned bronze in the women’s 400m T20 class. Furthermore, 29-year-old Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first Indian to secure medals at three consecutive Paralympic Games, winning a bronze in the men's high jump T42.

Adding another feather to our bronze cap, 23-year-old Preethi Pal won bronze in the women’s 100m T35 race, marking India’s first-ever medal in a track event at the Paralympics. Preethi went on to win another bronze in the 200m T35 race, demonstrating her exceptional talent on the track

Upcoming events and prospects

At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, several Indian athletes are making waves and are definitely worth keeping an eye on. Harvinder Singh, who made history by becoming India’s first gold-medalist in Paralympic archery, is looking to add more medals to his tally. He is set to compete in the mixed team recurve event alongside Pooja Jatyan, a duo that could bring home another medal for India. In shooting, Mona Agarwal has already secured a bronze and is vying for more as she competes in the mixed R6 50m Rifle Prone SH1 event alongside Sidhartha Babu. Both have shown impressive form and are expected to perform strongly.

On the track, Simran Singh has made it to the semifinals of the Women’s 100m T12 and is a strong contender to advance to the finals today. Meanwhile, in judo, Kapil Parmar and Kokila Kaushiklate are competing in the men's and women's categories, respectively. Both athletes have a real chance to progress far, with hopes of clinching a medal.