NEW DELHI: India achieved its best ever medal haul in the
Paralympics
, surpassing the previous edition’s tally, thanks to an outstanding performance by its track and field athletes in Paris on Tuesday.
India’s medal count rose to 20, including 3 golds, 7 silvers, and 10 bronzes, breaking the previous record of 19 medals set at the Tokyo Paralympic Games three years ago.
On a remarkable day for Indian para sports, the country secured five medals, bringing the total to 20 and placing India at the 17th spot by the end of day six of the quadrennial event. The impressive performance included two silver medals and three bronze medals in track and field events.
India had achieved five golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes at the Tokyo Paralympics. This year, the javelin throwers stood out, with Ajeet Singh and world record holder Sundar Singh Gurjar winning silver and bronze, respectively, in the F46 category with throws of 65.62m and 64.96m. The F46 category is designated for field athletes with moderately affected movement in one or both arms or the absence of limbs.
High jumpers Sharad Kumar and Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu each gave commendable performances, earning silver and bronze in the T63 finals with jumps of 1.88m and 1.85m. The T63 category is for high jumpers with moderately affected movement in one leg or the absence of limbs above the knee.
World champion sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji added to India’s medal tally with a bronze in the women’s 400m (T20) event. The 20-year-old clocked 55.82 seconds, finishing behind Yuliia Shuliar (55.16 seconds) of Ukraine and world record holder Aysel Onder (55.23 seconds) of Turkey. It was Jeevanji’s debut at the Paralympic Games.
Daughter of farm laborers from Kalleda Village in Telangana’s Warangal district, Jeevanji was identified with intellectual impairment by a teacher at a school athletics meet. Despite facing societal challenges due to her disability, she achieved significant milestones, including a gold medal at last year’s Asian Para Games and setting a world record at the Para World Championships in May.
The T20 category is intended for athletes with intellectual impairments. Jeevanji benefited from the guidance of national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand after starting her training with her initial coach, Nagpuri Ramesh.
Lekhara’s campaign ends
Shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on another medal at the Games, finishing fifth in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 competition in Chateauroux. The 22-year-old, who has been paralysed waist-down since age 11 due to a car accident, shot a total of 420.6 across the three stages of kneeling, prone, and standing in a highly competitive eight-woman field.
Despite not securing another medal, Lekhara has reason to celebrate. She recently made history as the first Indian woman to win consecutive gold medals at the Paralympics, following her top finish in the 10m air rifle competition last week.
In the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 competition, Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop won the gold with a total score of 456.5. Slovakian shooter Veronika Vadovicova claimed the silver with 456.1 while China’s Zhang secured bronze with a score of 446.0.
The SH1 class is designated for athletes with lower-limb impairments competing in rifle shooting events. These athletes are able to hold their guns without difficulty and can shoot from either a standing or sitting position, including those using a wheelchair or chair.
Jadhav ends 5th in shot put
Bhagyashri Jadhav finished fifth in the women’s shot put (F34) at the Paralympics. Competing in her second Paralympic Games, Jadhav recorded a throw of 7.28m.
Despite her effort, it was not enough for a podium finish.
China’s Lijuan Zou took the gold with a season’s best of 9.14m, while Poland’s Lucyna Kornobys secured the silver with a throw of 8.33m.
Jadhav, who is 39 years old and hails from Nanded district in Maharashtra, has an inspiring story. She lost the use of her legs following an accident in 2006, which led her into depression. Supported by friends and family, she made a remarkable turnaround to become a para-athlete.
Archer Pooja’s campaign ends in quarters
Archer Pooja Jatyan slipped from a two-set lead to go down to heavyweight Wu Chunyan of China 4-6 in the women’s recurve open quarterfinals.
A winner of four Paralympics medals, including a team gold in 2016 Rio Games, the 34-year-old Chinese archer was nowhere in the picture after a disastrous opening set where she shot twice in the 7-point red ring to aggregate 23 points.
Pooja, a former World Para Championship silver medallist, had a superb start as she dropped just two points to take the first set with a five-point margin.
The Gurugram-born 27-year-old archer raced to a 4-0 lead, winning a tight second set 25-24 by nailing a perfect 10 in her final arrow.
Needing just one set to make her maiden semifinals, Pooja faltered with a 7 in her final arrow of the third set as the Chinese reduced the margin to 2-4 taking the third set 28-27.
Pooja slowly started to crumble under pressure as she managed just 24 points in the fourth set.
Wu levelled it 4-4 before delivering a knockout punch when she won the decider 27-24, with a perfect 10 in her final arrow.
