The Indian shooters are also set to begin their campaign.
Having opened its medal tally at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics, the Indian contingent will now be aiming to add to it. Bhavina Patel has won India’s first medal at the Games. She won India’s first silver medal in para table tennis. As many as 54 Indian para-athletes are representing the country at Tokyo 2020. Several of them are set to make their first appearance on Monday.
Javelin throwers Devendra Jhajharia and Sumit Antil, shooter Deepak Saini and others will take to the field on Day 6. A number of medals are up for grabs for the Indian contingent and they will be aiming to increase India’s tally at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Shooting: Women’s R2 10m Air Rifle Standing – SH1 Qualification
Avani Lekhara will represent India in this event. The country has the reputation for producing young promising shooters and Lekhara is also just that. The 19-year-old is currently the World No. 5 in the 10m air rifle standing category. She is all set to make her Paralympics debut and will hope to impress.
The event will begin at 5:00 AM IST.
Athletics: Men’s Discus Throw F56 Final
Athletics is India’s biggest medal hope at the Tokyo Paralympics. Yogesh Kathuniya will be the lone Indian representative at this event. He had earlier shattered the world record in the Men’s Discus F36 category. He cleared a distance of 45.18m and surpassed the world record of 42.96m set by China’s Li Cuiqing in 2017, to win the gold at the Para-Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin.
In the Discus Throw F56 category event, he won the silver medal with a throw of 42.05m at the World Para Athletics Championships. In 2019, Kathuniya claimed the bronze medal in the men’s discus throw F56 final at the Dubai World Para Athletics Championships to qualify for the Paralympic Games.
Catch Yogesh Kathuniya in action at 6:05 AM IST.
Shooting: Men’s R1 10m Air Rifle Standing – SH1 Qualification
Two Indian shooters will be in action in the qualification rounds. Deepak Saini is an Asian Para Games silver medalist and will be aiming to replicate his continental success on the global stage.
His compatriot Swaroop Mahavir Unhalkar will also take part in this event. The 33-year-old hails from Kolhapur and takes inspiration from the exploits of Rahi Sarnobat. Sarnobat was part of the Tokyo Olympics contingent of Indian shooters and hails from the same city in Maharashtra.
The event will begin at 7:15 AM IST.
Athletics: Men’s Javelin Throw F46 Final
Devendra Jhajharia is one of the biggest names in Indian sports. He is the first Indian to win two gold medals at the Paralympic Games. After winning the gold medal in Athens 2004, Jhajaria added to it in Rio 2016, with another top of the podium finish. In 2012, he also became the first Paralympian to be awarded the Padma Shri award. Now 40, Devendra Jhajaria’s quest for success still remains the same.
Two other Indian competitors Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar will also participate in the final. The final will start at 7:33 AM IST.
Related News |ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Athletics: Men’s Javelin Throw F64 Final
Rising para-athlete Sumit Antil confirmed his status as one of India’s biggest bets at the Tokyo Paralympics during the 19th National Para-Athletics Championships in March this year. The 22-year-old bettered the world record to win the gold in the javelin throw, with a 66.90m effort. He had also competed at the Indian Grand Prix alongside Neeraj Chopra.
Another Indian on the field for the final will be Sandeep Chaudhury. Catch the Indian duo in action from 3:30 PM IST.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.