India’s para-athletes have once again made the nation proud at the Paris Paralympics 2024, achieving a new milestone by surpassing their previous best medal count from the Tokyo Paralympics. So far, the team has secured a total of 24 medals, outdoing the 19 medals they brought home from Tokyo. Key highlights of this achievement include Avani Lekhara’s second gold medal in shooting and Sumit Antil’s consecutive gold in javelin. With more events to go, India has a chance to add even more to this already record-breaking tally.
Breaking Records at Paris 2024
In the 2024 Paris Paralympics, India made history by surpassing their best medal tally from the Tokyo Paralympics, where they won 19 medals (5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze). At the Paris Games, the Indian contingent has already secured 24 medals and is poised to add more. Within just two days, on Monday and Tuesday, India clinched 13 medals, marking a significant leap in their Paralympic journey.
Standout Performances: Gold Medal Triumphs
Among the most notable achievements in Paris was Avani Lekhara, who clinched her second gold medal in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, becoming the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic golds. Equally impressive, Nitesh Kumar claimed gold in men’s singles SL3 badminton, beating Britain’s Daniel Bethell in an intense final. Sumit Antil continued his dominance in javelin, winning his second consecutive Paralympic gold with a record-breaking throw of 70.59 meters.
Gold Medal Winners:
- Avani Lekhara – Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1
- Nitesh Kumar – Men’s Singles SL3 Badminton
- Sumit Antil – Javelin Throw F64 (Athletics)
- Harvinder Singh – Men’s Individual Recurve Open (Archery)
- Dharambir – Men’s Club Throw F51 (Athletics)
Silver Medal Successes
Several Indian athletes have also brought home silver medals, including Nishad Kumar, who secured his second consecutive silver in the men’s high jump T47, matching his Tokyo performance. Manish Narwal, who won gold in Tokyo, earned silver in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 final, narrowly missing the top spot. Yogesh Kathuniya added another silver to his collection with a season-best discus throw of 42.22 meters in the F56 event.
In badminton, Thulasimathi Murugesan earned silver in the women’s singles SU5, while Suhas Yathiraj took silver in men’s singles SL4. In mixed-team compound archery, Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar won bronze, just missing out on silver after a close match with Italy.
Silver Medal Winners:
- Manish Narwal – Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Shooting)
- Nishad Kumar – Men’s High Jump T47 (Athletics)
- Yogesh Kathuniya – Men’s Discus Throw F56 (Athletics)
- Thulasimathi Murugesan – Women’s Singles SU5 (Badminton)
- Suhas Yathiraj – Men’s Singles SL4 (Badminton)
- Sharad Kumar – Men’s High Jump T46 Final
- Ajeet Singh – Men’s Javelin Throw F46 (Athletics)
- Sachin Sarjerao Khilari – Men’s Shot Put F46 (Athletics)
- Pranav Soorma – Men’s Club Throw F51 (Athletics)
Bronze Medal Wins
India also secured multiple bronze medals in a range of events. Manisha Ramadass won bronze in women’s singles SU5 badminton, defeating Denmark’s Cathrine Rosengren in a swift match. Nithya Sri Sivan also took home bronze in the SH6 badminton category, and Preeti Pal made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic track and field medals, earning bronze in both the 100m and 200m T35 races.
In the men’s high jump T46 final, Sharad Kumar secured silver, and Mariyappan Thangavelu earned bronze. Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar added to India’s javelin success with silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the F46 event.
Bronze Medal Winners:
- Mona Agarwal – Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 (Shooting)
- Preeti Pal – Women’s 100m and 200m T35 (Athletics)
- Rubina Francis – Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Shooting)
- Manisha Ramadass – Women’s Singles SU5 (Badminton)
- Rakesh Kumar & Sheetal Devi – Mixed Team Compound Open (Athletics)
- Nithya Sre Sivan – Women’s Singles SH6 (Badminton)
- Mariyappan Thangavelu – Men’s High Jump T46 Final
- Deepthi Jeevanji – Women’s 400m T20 Final
- Sundar Singh Gurjar – Men’s Javelin Throw F46 (Athletics)
A Proud Moment for India
India’s remarkable performance at the Paris Paralympics has brought home 24 medals, surpassing their Tokyo tally and making this the nation’s best-ever showing at the Paralympic Games. With 5 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze medals so far, the achievements of India’s para-athletes are a testament to their resilience, hard work, and dedication on the global stage.
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