A look back at India's performance at Tokyo Paralympics

Published at :August 24, 2024 at 2:03 PM

Modified at :August 24, 2024 at 2:03 PM

India had a historic run in Tokyo.

India’s athletes made history at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, bringing home a record-breaking 19 medals. This was a huge leap from their previous performances, placing India among the top 30 countries in the medal count. Before Tokyo, India had only won 12 Paralympic medals in total. The 2016 Rio Games set the stage for this breakthrough, and Tokyo saw Indian athletes surpass all expectations.

India secured its first-ever medal in table tennis – Bhavina Patel won the silver medal in the women’s individual class 4 on August 29. Additionally, Harvinder Singh became the first Indian archer to win a medal in either the Olympics or the Paralympics, claiming the bronze in the men’s individual recurve event.

Athletics was India’s most successful sport, with eight medals: one gold, five silver, and two bronze. Sumit Antil secured gold in the men’s javelin throw F64 with a world-record throw of 68.55 meters.

Nishad Kumar, Mariyappan Thangavelu, and Praveen Kumar won silver in the high jump, while Yogesh Kathuniya and Devendra Jhajharia won silver and bronze in the discus throw and high jump, respectively. Sharad Kumar and Sundar Singh Gurjar won bronze in the high jump and javelin throw.

Shooting also saw significant success, with India winning five medals: two gold, one silver, and two bronze. Avani Lekhara won gold and bronze in the Women’s R2 10m air rifle standing SH1 and Women’s R8 50m Rifle 3 positions SH1 categories. Manish Narwal won gold in the Mixed P4 50m pistol SH1 category, while Singhraj Adhana won silver in the same category and bronze in the Men’s P1 10m air pistol SH1 category.

Badminton, newly introduced at the Paralympics, contributed four medals: two gold, one silver, and one bronze. Four-time world champion Pramod Bhagat won gold in the men’s singles SL3, and Manoj Sarkar won bronze in the same category. Krishna Nagar secured the second gold for India in the men’s singles SH6 category, while Suhas Yathiraj won silver in the men’s singles SL4 category.

Top Performers for India at Tokyo Paralympics

Avani Lekhara

Avani Lekhara won two medals for India at the Tokyo Paralympics, becoming the first Indian woman to win gold and multiple medals at the Games. She also secured India’s first shooting medal. Avani won gold in the Women’s R2 10-metre air rifle standing SH1 event and followed with a bronze in the Women’s R8 50-metre Rifle 3 positions SH1 category. She was one of only two Indians to win two medals in Tokyo.

Singhraj Adhana

Singhraj Adhana, from Faridabad, Haryana, was the second Indian to win two medals at the Tokyo Paralympics. He claimed a silver medal in the Mixed P4 50-metre pistol SH1 category, where his compatriot Manish Narwal won gold. Singhraj also won bronze in the Men’s P1 10-metre air pistol SH1 category.

Sumit Antil

Sumit Antil became the sole gold medalist for India in athletics. He won gold in the men’s javelin throw F64 category, breaking the world record three times during the competition. All of his valid throws surpassed the previous world record, which he had set in 2019.

List of medalists in Tokyo Paralympics 2021

Medal	Name	Sport	Event
Gold	Avani Lekhara	Shooting	Women’s R2 10 metre air rifle standing SH1
Gold	Sumit Antil	Athletics	Men’s javelin throw F64
Gold	Manish Narwal	Shooting	Mixed P4 50 metre pistol SH1
Gold	Pramod Bhagat	Badminton	Men’s Singles SL3
Gold	Krishna Nagar	Badminton	Men’s Singles SH6
Silver	Bhavina Patel	Table Tennis	Women’s Individual C4
Silver	Nishad Kumar	Athletics	Men’s High Jump T47
Silver	Yogesh Kathuniya	Athletics	Men’s Discuss Throw F56
Silver	Devendra Jhajharia	Athletics	Men’s Javelin Throw F46
Silver	Mariyappan Thangavelu	Athletics	Men’s High Jump T63
Silver	Praveen Kumar	Athletics	Men’s High Jump T64
Silver	Singhraj Adhana	Shooting	Mixed P4 50 metre pistol SH1
Silver	Suhas Yathiraj	Badminton	Men’s Singles SL4
Bronze	Sundar Singh Gurjar	Athletics	Men’s Javelin Throw F46
Bronze	Singhraj Adhana	Shooting	Men’s P1 10 metre air pistol SH1
Bronze	Sharad KumarSundar Singh GurjarSharad Kumar	Athletics	Men’s High Jump T63
Bronze	Avani Lekhara	Shooting	Women’s R8 50 metre Rifle 3 positions SH1
Bronze	Harvinder Singh	Archery	Men’s Individual Recurve Open
Bronze	Manoj Sarkar	Badminton	Men’s Singles SL3

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