Top 10 Indian moments from Paris Paralympics 2024

India had several moments to cherish in a record-breaking campaign at Paris Paralympics 2024.

The Indian para-athletes impressed the entire nation with their remarkable athleticism and record-breaking performances at the Paris Paralympics 2024. With their largest-ever delegation (84), India produced its best-ever performance at a single Paralympics, winning not just medals but setting new personal bests.

India concluded its campaign on a high with a whopping 29 medals, 10 more than its count in Tokyo, as the nation finished with seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals and 18th overall position in the medal table.

With this, let’s now look at the top 10Indian moments from the Paris Paralympics 2024.

10) Kapil Parmar bags India’s first-ever medal in Para Judo

Kapil Parmar etched his name in Indian sports history by winning bronze in men’s -60kg J1 class. This was India’s first-ever Para Judo medal in the Paralympics history, making it one of the most memorable moments at the Paris Paralympics. Parmar accomplished the feat by defeating Elielton de Oliveira of Brazil in the bronze medal match by 10-0.

9) Zero to four medals in track events

India had never won a track medal in the history of the Summer Paralympics till the country’s para-athletes competed at the Paris Paralympic Games. Preethi Pal emerged as one of India’s star performers in track events as she scripted history by winning the first track medal for India in the competition history, a bronze in women’s 100m T35 discipline.

Two days later, Pal added another bronze to her tally by finishing third in the women’s 200m T35 discipline. On September 3, Deepthi Jeevanji became the first-ever intellectually impaired athlete from India to win a medal in the Paralympics as she won the bronze in the women’s 400m T20 in Paris.

Simran Sharma gave India another medal to rejoice as she clinched a bronze in the women’s 200m T12, capping off a successful campaign for the nation in track events.

8) Sheetal Devi’s rise to prominence

Sheetal Devi got off to a flying start at the Paris Paralympics as she breached the world record mark in women’s compound archery, scoring 703 out of 720 to place second in the ranking round. Although the mark was better than the previous world record by Great Britain’s Phoebe Pine Paterson (698), Devi’s score was lesser than Turkey’s Oznur Cure Girdi, who achieved a 704, to hold the current global record.

However, Devi became an inspiration to many during the Paris Paralympics as she rose to instant fame, being the only female international para archer to excel in the sport without upper limbs. She returned home with a bronze in the Mixed team compound along with partner Rakesh Kumar.

7) Navdeep Singh silver upgraded to gold after drama

September 7 marked a joyous day for India as javelin thrower Navdeep Singh clinched India’s seventh gold which ensured the nation a top-20 finish in the overall medal table of the Paris Paralympics. After Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for improper conduct for showing a flag different from his own country’s flag, Singh received an upgrade from silver to gold in the F41 category.

6) Indian club throwers ring the bell at Stade de France

Dharambir Nain emerged as one of the gold medalists for India in the men’s club throw F51 by smashing the Asian record with a new mark of 34.92. After the gold medal performance, Nain was expected to appear in the Paralympic ‘bell ring’ ritual. 

However, what truly surprised fans worldwide was when the other two Indian athletes, silver medalist Pranav Soorma, and Amit Kumar Saroha, accompanied Nain during the victory ritual, making it one of the most memorable Indian moments at the Paris Paralympics.

5) Praveen Kumar upgrades his Tokyo silver to gold in men’s high jump T64

Praveen Kumar elevated his Paralympic medal tally at the Paris Paralympics by securing India’s sixth gold with a remarkable Asian record clearance of 2.08m in the men’s T64 high jump. Considering he had previously claimed silver at the Tokyo Paralympics with a 2.07m jump, it was a remarkable display from Kumar.

4) Avani Lekhara’s successful title defense in shooting 10m air rifle SH1

Dubbed the ‘Golden Girl’, Avani Lekhara showed why she is one of the greatest para shooters of all-time by successfully defending her title in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 with a Paralympic Games record show of 249.7 points. In the last edition, she scored 249.6 to win her first gold in Paralympic Games in the same discipline. 

Lekhara now has three medals in the Paralympics, including two gold and one bronze, owing to her third-place finish in the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 in Tokyo.

3) India defends badminton gold in men’s SL3 ft. Nitesh Kumar, Pramod Bhagat

With Tokyo Paralympics gold medalist Pramod Bhagat missing due to a suspension for whereabouts failures, Nitesh Kumar had big shoes to fill in the men’s singles SL3 category at Paris.

During his encounter against the second-seed Daniel Bethell of Great Britain, Kumar maintained his composure throughout the gold medal match to win the nail-biting contest by 21-14, 18-21, 23-21. With this, India accomplished a successful title defense in the Badminton – men’s singles SL3 event.

2) Sumit Antil’s continued supremacy

Sumit Antil continued to be the world’s most dominant javelin thrower in the men’s F64 category as he achieved his title defense in a dominating fashion at the Paris Paralympics with a Paralympic record throw of 70.59m, surpassing his previous mark of 68.55m which he set at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Antil’s list of accomplishments in the international circuit now includes two Paralympic gold medals, two gold and a silver at the World Championships, and a gold at the Asian Para Games.

Also Read: Sumit Antil’s top five career best throws in men’s para javelin

1) Harvinder Singh clinches India’s first-ever gold in archery

Harvinder Singh’s gold medal victory in the men’s recurve archery open category at the Paris Paralympics will be remembered as one of the best moments in Indian sporting history. Singh claimed the top position with a sensational performance as he comfortably defeated Poland’s Łukasz Ciszek to capture the gold by 6-0.

Singh’s performance provided a much-needed boost to Indian sports enthusiasts recovering from the disappointing campaign of Indian archers at the Paris Olympics.

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