Indian athletes who have won medals in multiple editions of Paralympics

Published at :September 9, 2024 at 6:21 PM

Modified at :September 16, 2024 at 5:57 AM

Avani Lekhara is the first Indian female athlete to win medals at multiple editions of the games.

The Paralympics stand as a tribute to human perseverance and athletic excellence. Born from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948, the Paralympic Games have grown into one of the world’s largest international sporting events. In 2020, the Summer Paralympic featured 4,520 athletes from 163 countries, competing across a wide range of disabilities categorized into ten eligible impairment types.

These Games run parallel to the Olympics which signals the spirit of inclusivity and displaying the incredible abilities of athletes with disabilities. From its humble beginnings to its current status as a global spectacle, the Paralympic Games have become a platform for athletes to shatter stereotypes, inspire millions, and push the boundaries of human potential.

India’s participation in the Paralympic Games has yielded remarkable success stories, with several athletes achieving multiple medals across different editions. These extraordinary individuals have not only brought glory to their nation but have also become beacons of hope and inspiration for aspiring para-athletes worldwide. Take a look at Indian athletes with medals in multiple editions of the Paralympic Games.

Indians with medals in multiple editions of Paralympics

Sundar Singh Gurjar (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Bronze Medal: Men’s Javelin Throw F46 – 2024 Paris
Bronze Medal: Men’s Javelin Throw F46 – 2020 Tokyo

Sundar Singh Gujrar had a painful debut at Paralympics. He was 52 seconds late to reach the call room which resulted in a disqualification at Rio in 2016. But Gujrar came back to win bronze in men’s javelin throw F46 with a throw of 64.01m at Tokyo in 2020. At Paris Paralympics 2024, he registered a season best of 64.96m to finish third in men’s javelin throw F46.

Sharad Kumar (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Silver Medal: Men’s High Jump T63 – 2024 Paris
Bronze Medal: Men’s High Jump T63 – 2020 Tokyo

Sharad Kumar had made his Olympic debut at Rio in 2016. He won bronze in Tokyo 2020 during the men’s high Jump T63 with a best attempt of 1.83. He further improved his mark at Paris Paralympics 2024. Kumar set a Paralympic record of 1.88 to win silver in men’s T63 high jump.

Suhas Yathiraj (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Silver Medal: Men’s singles SL4 – 2020 Tokyo
Silver Medal: Men’s singles SL4 – 2024 Paris

Suhas Yathiraj has seen his career trajectory travelling in different directions. The 2007 IAS batch officer of Uttar Pradesh was earlier a software engineer. Yathiraj then served as a District Magistrate and also as the Secretary and Director General of Youth Welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal.

Apart from being a Bureaucrat, Yathiraj had been playing badminton since childhood and took up the sport professionally in 2012 at the age of 29. He started his jounrey at the Paralympic games in 2020 at Tokyo and clinched silver in men’s Singles SL4. At the age of 41, Yathiraj competed at Paris Paralympics 2024 and again finished second in men’s Singles SL4.

Yogesh Kathuniya (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Silver Medal: Men’s discus throw F56 – 2020 Tokyo
Silver Medal: Men’s discus throw F56 – 2024 Paris

Yogesh Kathuniya at nine-years-old was affected by Guillain–Barre syndrome where he lost considerable muscle strength. Through physiotherapy, Kathuniya improved his muscle strength in three years. He took up discus throw in 2016 and made his Paralympic debut at Tokyo in 2020. A year later, he opened up Yogesh Throwing Academy in Naraingarh. He wanted para athletes to have financial support in their career.

Kathuniya won silver in men’s F56 discus throw with a best attempt of 44.38m. Kathuniya again secured a silver in men’s F56 discus throw at Paris Paralympics 2024 with a throw of 42.22m.

Nishad Kumar (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Silver Medal: High Jump T47 – 2020 Tokyo
Silver Medal: High Jump T47 – 2024 Paris

Nishad Kumar, a talented Indian para-athlete, has made India proud by winning two silver medals in the Paralympics. His journey started at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where he competed in the men’s high jump T47 category. Nishad’s incredible jump of 2.06 meters earned him his first silver medal, marking his arrival as a top para-athlete.

Fast forward to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Nishad once again proved his skill in the high jump. With a season-best jump of 2.04 meters, he secured his second silver medal.

Harvinder Singh (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Gold Medal: Men’s individual recurve open – 2024 Paris
Bronze Medal: Men’s individual recurve open – 2020 Tokyo

Harvinder Singh made his mark in archery by winning two medals across two editions of the Paralympics—2020 and 2024. He first captured the spotlight at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, becoming the first Indian archer to win a Paralympic medal with his historic bronze.

Continuing his strong form, Singh followed it up with another impressive showing at the 2024 Paralympics, where he earned a historic gold, becoming the first Inian gold medallist in archery at the Paralympics or Olympics and further solidifying his place in Indian Paralympic history.

Praveen Kumar (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Gold Medal: Men’s High Jump T64 – 2024 Paris
Silver Medal: Men’s High Jump T64 – 2020 Tokyo

Praveen Kumar was only 18 years old when he finished second in men’s T64 high jump event by soaring 2.07m at Tokyo. He was India’s youngest Paralympic medallist at the games in 2020. Kumar went on to better his mark at Paris Paralympics 2024.

The Indian set an area record of 2.08m to win end up on the top of the podium in men’s high jump T64 at Paris. He began his campaign by clearing 1.89m and even tried clearing 2.10m.

Manish Narwal (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Gold Medal: Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 – 2020 Tokyo
Silver Medal: 10m Air Pistol SH1 – 2024 Paris

Manish Narwal first competed at the Paralympics at Tokyo in 2020. He became the first Indian male shooter to win a Paralympic gold. Narwal set a paralympic record of 218.2 in the final. He went on to win silver at Paris Paralympics in men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1. Narwal finished second in with a score of 234.9.

Mariyappan Thangavelu (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Gold Medal: High Jump T42 – 2016 Rio
Silver Medal: High Jump T63 – 2020 Tokyo
Bronze Medal: High Jump T63- 2024 Paris

Mariyappan Thangavelu’s journey from a small village in Tamil Nadu to Paralympic glory is a story of triumph over adversity. Born in 1995, Thangavelu’s right leg was crushed in an accident at the age of five, but this didn’t deter his athletic aspirations.

Thangavelu made his Paralympic debut in spectacular fashion at the 2016 Rio Games, winning gold in the men’s high jump T-42 category with a jump of 1.89 meters. This victory then made him India’s first Paralympic gold medalist since 2004 and catapulted him to national fame.

Building on his success, Thangavelu secured a silver medal in the T-63 category at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. At Paris Paralympics 2024, he won the bronze medal in the men’s T63 high jump event with a best attempt of 1.85m.

His consistent performances have earned him numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri, Arjuna Award, and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honor.

Sumit Antil (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Gold Medal: Men’s javelin throw F64 – 2020 Tokyo
Gold Medal: Men’s javelin throw F64 – 2024 Paris

Sumit Antil was a wrestler until the age of 17 and had to abandon the sport after suffering a road accident in 2015. Two years later, he began training in para-athletics and broke the world record in men’s javelin throw F64 during the 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Italy.

Sumit Antil started his Paralympic journey at Tokyo in 2020. He broke the world record thrice and a throw of 68.55m secured the gold in men’s javelin throw F64. Antil repeated the same at Paris Paralympics 2024 by breaking the Paralympic record with a throw of 70.59m and thereby successfully defended his title.

Avani Lekhara (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

Gold Medal: 10m Air Rifle SH1 – 2020 Tokyo
Bronze Medal: 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 – 2020 Tokyo
Gold Medal: 10m Air Rifle SH1 – 2024 Paris

At just 23 years old, Avani Lekhara has already made history in Indian Paralympic shooting. Born in 2001 in Jaipur, Lekhara’s life took a dramatic turn when a car accident in 2012 left her wheelchair bound. However, this setback only fueled her determination to excel in sports.

Lekhara burst onto the international stage at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, becoming the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal. Her victory in the 10m air rifle standing event, with a score of 249.6 points, not only set a Paralympic record but also tied the world record.

In a display of remarkable consistency, Lekhara defended her title at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, clinching another gold in the same event. This back-to-back gold medal performance makes her the first Indian woman to win multiple medals in a single Paralympics and cements her place among India’s greatest para-athletes.

Devendra Jhajharia (Athens 2024, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020)

Gold Medal: Men’s Javelin Throw (F44/46) – 2004 Athens
Gold Medal: Men’s Javelin Throw (F46) – 2016 Rio
Silver Medal: Men’s Javelin Throw (F46) – 2020 Tokyo

Devendra Jhajharia is India’s most decorated athlete. Born in 1981, Jhajharia lost his left hand at the age of eight but never let his disability hinder his dreams. His journey in Paralympic javelin throw has been nothing short of legendary.

Jhajharia’s first Paralympic gold came in 2004 at Athens, where he set a world record with a throw of 62.15 meters. Twelve years later, he repeated this feat at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, bettering his own record with a throw of 63.97 meters. Not content with two golds, Jhajharia clinched a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, cementing his status as a para-sports icon.

Beyond his athletic achievements, Jhajharia has taken on leadership roles in Indian para-sports. In 2024, he was elected president of the Paralympic Committee of India, further contributing to the growth of para-sports in the country.

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