India In Paris Paralympics 2024: All You Need To Know

The 17th Summer Paralympic Games, known as Paris Paralympics 2024 takes place in Paris from August 28 to September 8, 2024. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee. Paris is hosting the Summer Paralympics for the first time and this is France's second Paralympics event after the Winter Paralympics in 1992.

India In Summer Paris Paralympics 2024

Although India made its formal debut in the 1968 Summer Paralympics, Indian competitors have competed in every Summer Paralympic event since 1984. Before the 2024 Paralympics, India had its best-ever performance at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with a total of 19 medals (5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze), placing the country at 24th out of 78 nations with at least one medal winner.

At the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, India sent a big contingent of 84 players including 52 men and 32 women for 12 sports. India participated in archery, athletics, badminton, cycling, judo, paracanoeing, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, and taekwondo. 

Indian Medallists At Paris Paralympics 2024

India’s performance in this latest Paralympic Games 2024 surpassed the previous record of winning 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympics. In the Paris Paralympics 2024, India scripted history by winning 29 medals which is 10 medals more than India’s medal in Tokyo. India could achieve this feat by giving its best performance in games like athletics, badminton, shooting, archery, and judo. 

Indian contingent started its para-game on 29th August 2024 coincidentally on National Sports Day and ended its journey on 8th September 2024. On every day of its journey, India won medals in this Paralympic Games 2024 except on the inaugural day and ending day. Out of a total of 29 medals, 7 are gold, 9 are silver, and 13 are bronze.

Shooting Performance Of India In Paris Summer Paralympics 2024

On August 30, 2024, Avani Lekhara won gold medal and Mona Agarwal won bronze medal in women's R2 10 metre air rifle standing SH1 event. In this way, India placed at 1st and 3rd rank in the same event. Coincidentally, both Avani and Mona are from Rajasthan as Avani belongs to Jaipur and Mona belongs to Sikar district. 

This is the first time when any Indian women paralympics player has won the paralympics gold medal consecutively. Avani Lekhara created a historic win by winning gold medal at Paris after Tokyo Paralympics. In Tokyo Paralympics 2020, Avani Lekhara of Jaipur won one gold medal in women's R2 10 metre air rifle standing SH1 and one bronze medal in women's R8 50 metre Rifle 3 positions SH1 event.

In the year 2021, Avani Lekhara won the gold medal on a similar day on 30th August at the Tokyo Paralympics. On the same day, Manish Narwal from Haryana won silver medal in men's P1 10 metre air pistol SH1 event. In the previous Tokyo Paralympics 2020, he won gold medal in Mixed 50 m pistol SH1 event.

On August 31, Rubina Francis of Madhya Pradesh won the bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 event. She created history by becoming the first female Indian to win a bronze medal in pistol shooting at the Paralympic Games.

Athletics Performance Of India In Paris Summer Paralympics 2024

On August 30, 2024, Indian para athlete from Uttar Pradesh won the bronze medal in the women’s 100m T35 class race. Preethi Pal became the first Indian to win a medal in the track event of athletics in the Paralympics. Her time of 14.21 seconds was a personal best.

Preethi Pal made history twice by winning a bronze medal again in the women's 200m T35 track event at the Paris Summer Paralympics. With her personal best, she covered 200 m distance in just 30.01 seconds. On September 1, 2024, Nishad Kumar from Himachal Pradesh won the silver medal at the men's high jump T47 event, becoming the second Indian para-athlete to win medals in Paris Paralympics 2024.

On September 2, 2024, Yogesh Kathuniya of Haryana won the silver medal in the men's discus throw F56 event in the Paris Summer Paralympics. In the previous Tokyo Paralympics, he won the same silver medal in the event. 

The Indian flag bearer Sumit Antil from Haryana won the gold medal with his style by breaking the Paralympics record twice in the men's javelin throw F64 event. He is the one who has set the world record in the Tokyo Paralympics and broke it 3 times in Tokyo. This time, he crossed the 70-metre plus mark with a throwing distance of 70.59 m, helping him to win the successive gold medal after Tokyo Paralympics. 

On September 3, 2024, Deepthi Jeevanji of Telangana claimed the historic bronze medal in the women's 400m T20 event at the Paris Summer Paralympics 2024. This Paralympics made history for India as Indian Paralympians won medals in the track and field event.

The Tokyo bronze-medallist Sundar Singh Gurjar from Rajasthan in the men's javelin throw F46 won again the bronze medal in Paris Paralympics while Ajeet Singh Yadav from Uttar Pradesh claimed the silver medal in the same event, ensuring a double podium finish for India. The elected president of the Paralympic Committee of India, Devendra Jhajharia, has claimed the 3 Paralympic medals in the same event before.

The double podium finish for India in athletics does not repeat soon in such Paralympic games. But, on the same day, India won the double medals in the men’s high jump T63 event in which Sharad Kumar from Bihar won the silver medal with a Paralympics record and Mariyappan Thangavelu from Tamil Nadu won the bronze medal. 

On the next day, an improved version of the double-finish for India happened after the golden victory of Dharambir Nain from Haryana in the club throw F51 event. By throwing 34.92 metres, he set the Asian record. In the same event, Pranav Soorma from the same state won the silver medal.

Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, in his Paralympics debut, won the silver medal in the men's shot put F46 event. Sachin from Maharashtra broke the Asian Record by throwing the shot put to 16.32 metres on his second attempt.

Indian Performance For Para-Badminton In Paris Summer Paralympics 2024

At the Tokyo Summer Paralympics 2024, the four Indian para-badminton players won medals, including gold for Pramod Bhagat and Krishna Nagar, silver for Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, and bronze for Manoj Sarkar. Unfortunately, Krishna Nagar of Jaipur retired from Paris Paralympics 2024 and failed to succeed in the game. 

On September 2, 2024, Kumar Nitesh from Rajasthan won the gold medal in the men's singles SL3 para-badminton event at Paris by defeating Daniel Bethell of Great Britain. In this category, Pramod Bhagat from Bihar won gold medal at Tokyo Paralympics 2020.

In the women's singles SU5 event, Thulasimathi Murugesan from Tamil Nadu won the valiant silver medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024. IAS officer Suhas Yathiraj from Karnataka claimed the successive silver medal in the men's singles SL4 event in Paris after winning the silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Manisha Ramadass from Tamil Nadu claimed a bronze medal in the women's singles SU5 event and Nithya Sivan from the same state also won a bronze medal in the women's singles SH6 event on September 2, 2024. In this way, Indian Para-Badminton players collected a total of 5 medals at the Paris Paralympics by winning a gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

Indian Para-Archery At Paris Summer Paralympics 2024

At the Tokyo Paralympics, India could claim only one medal in archery sport. But, the Indian contingent hopes for improved performance in para-archery. On September 2, 2024, Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi claimed the historic bronze medal in the mixed-team compound event. Their personal best score of 1399 is the world record.

Rakesh Kumar from Jammu is the world-ranked number 1. Sheetal Devi from Jammu and Kashmir is the first and only female international para-archery player without upper limbs. Her personal best score is 703 out of 720, making a world record in 2024.

On September 4, the Tokyo bronze-medallist Harvinder Singh from Haryana claimed the historic gold medal in the men’s individual recurve open event. This was the first time that India could win the gold medal ever in the para-archery at the Paralympic Games.

India’s Judo Performance At Paris Summer Paralympics 2024

In this summer paralympics, Indian contingent clinched the first paralympic medal ever in the game of Judo. Kapil Parmar from Madhya Pradesh scripted a historic bronze medal in the men's J1 -60 kg event in Judo.

Comparative Analysis: Tokyo Paralympics Vs Paris Paralympics

Note: NA reflects not attained medal.

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