Paris Paralympic 2024 medal tally: Indian winners from every sport

The first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960. Four hundred athletes from 23 countries participated in this Rome Paralympic game. Eight sports, including archery, athletics, and swimming, were involved in this event. In 1964, the Paralympic game was held in Tokyo for the second time, with more sports and participants. After that, the Paralympics expanded and grew in size and scope. But all the Paralympics were never held just after the end of the Olympics.

But in 1988, The Paralympics were held immediately after the Seoul, South Korea Olympics. Since then, the Paralympics have been held every four years, just after the Summer and Winter Olympics. The International Paralympic Committee was founded in 1989 to promote and recognise athletes with disabilities.  The Paralympics started from a small gathering of World War II veterans, and now it is one of the largest and most prestigious sporting events.

India achieved its most successful performance in Paralympic history at the Paris paralympic games 2024, securing 29 games and finishing 18th in the medal table. The Paralympic 2024 which was held in Paris started on 28 August and ended on 8 September 2024. A total of 4463 athletes from 170 nations participated in 549 events in 22 sports. The opening flag bearer is Bhagyashree Jadav, who won a silver medal in the shot put. The closing flag bearers are Preethi Pal and Harvinder Singh.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 🤩🫡

India's para athletes achieve their best-ever performance with a stunning 2⃣9⃣ medals🥳👏

7⃣🥇
9⃣🥈
1⃣3⃣🥉 and #TeamIndia is in 🔝2⃣0⃣☑️ for the very 1⃣st time.

Let's #Cheer4Bharat🇮🇳 with all our might and support our heroes💪 pic.twitter.com/7ijk41zJGf

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 8, 2024

Gold medallists

Avani Lekhara is an Indian Paralympian from Jaipur, Rajasthan. In 2012, at the age of 11, she suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a car accident and was paralyzed. But she never gave up and had remarkable success on the international stage. Her successful journey inspires many Paralympians. She is the first Paralympian to win back-to-back gold medals in two consecutive Paralympics.

Avani Lekhara won the gold medal two times in the 10 m air rifle SH1 event in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic and 2024 Paris Paralympic games.  She also won a bronze medal in the 50m rifle three position SH1 in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. She is the first Indian female Paralympian to win two medals in a single Paralympic game. She became the first Indian women athlete to win three Paralympic medals.

Nitesh Kumar is an Indian para-athlete who won the gold medal in Para-badminton. In 2009, he suffered a permanent leg injury in an accident. Despite this setback, he focused on his studies and joined IIT Mandi in 2013. Nitesh Kumar became passionate about badminton, and he also won the Para-badminton Championships and other international tournaments. He lost one of his legs in a train accident.

Sumit Antil won the gold medal in the javelin throw in Paralympic 2024. Every Indian thought one gold medal came from Neeraj Chopra in the Javelin throw in the Olympics 2024, but it did not happen. But Sumit Antil fulfilled every Indian dream by winning a gold medal in the men’s javelin throw F64 event in Paris Paralympic 2024.

Sumit Antil also won the gold medal in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. In his early life, he wanted to become a wrestler and join the Indian Army, but God had different plans. In 2015, he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2015. Despite fading up, he started training for the javelin throw, and the rest is history. His success and inspirational story make him a national hero. He made a world record by throwing 73.29 meters in the Asian Para Games 2022.

Harvinder Singh, an Indian para-archer, won the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Paralympic and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Harvinder Singh won medals in the men’s single recurve archery event. He is the first Indian archer to win a medal in a Paralympic Games. He was affected by dengue and suffered from impairment. He ignores all the problems and succeeds with his hard work and dedication.

Dharambir Nain is an Indian para-athlete from Haryana who competes in para-club throw. He suffered from a spinal cord injury that resulted in quadriplegia. Dharambir Nain won the 5th gold medal in the Paris Paralympic 2024.

Praveen Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s high jump T64 category in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Praveen Kumar set an Asian world record of 2.07 meters in the high jump. He was born in Uttar Pradesh. He was born with a congenital impairment affecting his leg. However, he avoided the challenges and succeeded in the Paralympics with his talent and dedication. Indian javelin thrower Navdeep Singh, who suffered from dwarfism, clinched the gold medal in the F41 category. This is India’s sixth gold medal.

Silver medallists

Manish Narwal won a silver medal in men’s 10m air pistol SH1 in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Manish Narwal won gold in the men’s 50 m pistol SH1 event and a silver medal in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Nishad Kumar, an Indian para-athlete, clinched a silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event. His story is very inspirational. A glass-cutting machine cut his right hand. But he tries hard and succeeds.

Yogesh Kathuniya achieved a silver medal in the men’s discus throw F56 category in the 2024 Paris Paralympic. He suffered from Guillain-Barre syndrome, which caused muscle weakness. But he practices regularly and becomes successful. He set a world record in the F36 category by throwing 45.18m at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin.

Thulasimathi Murugesan won a silver medal for India in the Women’s single badminton SU5 category at the Paralympic 2024 in Paris. She became the first woman shuttler to win a Paralympic silver medal. From birth, she suffered from a deformity in her left hand, which restricted her movement. She also won the Sportstar Aces Awards 2024 Sportswoman of the Year award.

Suhas Yathiraj is a para-badminton player and a civil servant. He has had disabilities in his left leg since birth, but he never gave up and perfectly balanced his career in civil service with a passion for sports. He gained widespread respect when he won a silver medal in the Men’s single SL4 category in badminton at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020. Again, he won a silver medal in the same category in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. He is the only IAS officer in India to win a Paralympic medal.

Sharad Kumar is an Indian Para athlete who competes in the high jump and is a former world no. 1 player. He comes from Bihar. At the age of two, he was paralyzed in his left leg due to taking spurious polio medicine. In Paris Paralympic 2024, he won a silver medal in the High jump T63 category.

Ajeet Singh Yadav is a para javelin thrower from Uttar Pradesh. He won a silver medal in the F46 category in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. His journey in para sports is marked by hard work and dedication.

Sachin Khilari is an Indian para-athlete who won a silver medal in the shot put under the F46 category at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. He clinched a gold medal in the men’s shot put F46 event at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

Pranav Soorma won a silver medal in the men’s club throw F51 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. In 2011, when he was 16 years old, he committed an accident and injured his spinal cord. His success story makes every Indian proud.

Bronze medallists

Mona Agarwal is an Indian para shooter from Rajasthan and competes in the women’s 10 m air riffleSH1 category.  She won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris paralympic. When she was just nine months old, he had a polio attack.

Preethi Pal, an Indian para-athlete, won two medals in a track and field event at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. She also won two bronze medals in the women’s 100m and 200m T35 race events. In her childhood, she had cerebral palsy.

Rubina Francis, an Indian para pistol shooter, won a bronze medal in the P2 10 m air pistol SH1 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. She is a para pistol shooter from Madhya Pradesh who has just clinched a bronze medal, and she showed the world what true determination looks like.  Rubina Francis makes history by winning India’s first Paralympic shooting medal in the pistol category.

Manisha Ramadass, born in Tamil Nadu, is an Indian para-athlete who won the women’s singles SU5 bronze medal at Paris Paralympic. She defeated Denmark’s Catherine Resendren 21-12, 21-8. 

Rakesh Kumar / Sheetal Devi won a bronze medal as Indian para-archers. Sheetal Devi also won the Arjuna Award. She was born with phocomelia, which causes no arms from birth. Rakesh Kumar is the highest-ranked compound archer. Sheetal Devi is the youngest para athlete in India in history and the only female armless archer in the games.

Nithya Sre Sivan won a bronze medal in the women’s singles SH6 category in badminton at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Defeating Indonesia’s Rina Marlina21-14, 21-6, this marks a historic day for Indian para badminton with five medals. 

Mariyappan Thangavelu won a bronze medal in the men’s high jump T63 category at the 2024 Paris Paralympic. The athlete’s right leg was run over by a drunk bus driver, leaving him permanently disabled at just five years of age. He is the first Indian to win three consecutive Paralympic medals; he won the gold medal in 2016 & a silver in 2020 and a Bronze in 2024.

Deepthi Jeevanji, an Indian Para athlete, won a bronze medal in the women’s 400m T20 category at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Sundar Singh Gurjar, an Indian Para athlete, won a bronze medal in the men’s javelin throw F46 category at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Kapil Parmar won a bronze medal in the judo men’s 60kg J1 category at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The visually impaired judo athlete made history by becoming  India’s first-ever paralympic medalist in Judo. He defeated Brazil’s Elieton de Oliveira with a score of 10-0.

Hokato Hotozhe Sema is an Indian para-athlete who won a bronze medal in men’s shot put F57 at the 2024 Paris Paralympic. Landmine blast survivor Hokato Hotozhe Sema came up with his career-best throw of 14.65 meters to secure a Bronze Medal for the country in the 2024 Paralympic Games. He is the only athlete from Nagaland who is part of the Indian contingent at the Paralympic games to touch the 14-meter mark on his second throw.

He lost his one leg in a landmine blast while taking part in an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu & Kashmir in 2002. He is inspired by the Indian army Neeraj Chopra, and he also said that the army connection pushed him to continue his dream. He has dedicated his medal to his wife.

Simran Sharma clinched a bronze medal as India’s para-athlete in the Women’s 200m T12 category at the 2024 Summer Paris Paralympic Games. This is also India’s second Bronze medal at the 2024 Paralympics in the women’s 200m event.

Indian para-athletes have always shown extraordinary determination and strength. Every time, they overcome their physical and mental challenges to compete on the world stage, like the Paralympics and World Championships. Devendra Jhajharia, an Indian Para athlete, won the Paralympic Gold medal two times, in 2004 at Athens and 2016 at Rio.

When he was just eight years old, he lost his leg due to electrocution. Any human who faces this type of tragedy gives up expectations from life. But he never gives up; this mindset and determination make him a javelin thrower. He is the first Indian to win two Paralympic golds. He would only have made this historical record by pushing himself without quitting.

Mariyappan Thangavelu won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympic and silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic. He lost his leg due to a bus accident, which left him with permanent disabilities. He did not get a proper diet or training during his early period because he came from a low-income family. However, he accepts all the challenges, but his passion for sports never declines. This strong mindset made him a high jumper and helped him achieve these medals in the high jump T42 category.

Everyone thinks he cannot be expelled in two aspects. But Suhas Yathiraj proves them wrong. He is an IAS officer and was posted as District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. He also won a silver medal in the men’s singles badminton SL4 category in the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He also studied at IIT Mandi. That shows that if you have will, there’s a way. The stories of India’s para-athlete medal winners are a booster to awaken the human spirit’s resilience and determination.

They prove that hard work and determination can bring everything you want. These athletes won medals in their respective sports and became motivation and hope for millions. Para-athletes face numerous financial, physical, and social challenges but never give up and leave their sports. Their stories give sparks to break barriers and set new goals or records every time. They are not only role models in sports but also real heroes of life.

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