India Makes History at Paris Paralympics
Record 29 Medals for Indian Team
The Indian Paralympic team has made history at the Paris Paralympics, winning a record 29 medals, including seven golds, nine silvers, and 13 bronzes. This is the highest medal tally for India in the history of the Paralympics, surpassing the previous record of 19 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Key Achievements
PCI President Devendra Jhajharia highlighted several notable achievements:
- Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medals, defending her women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 title with a world record score of 249.7 points.
- Dharambir and Parnav Soorma secured gold and silver in the men’s club throw F51 event, with Dharambir setting an Asian record of 34.92 meters.
- Praveen Kumar won gold in the T64 high jump event with an Asian record-breaking jump of 2.08 meters.
- Harvinder Singh became India’s first-ever archery champion in the Paralympics, winning gold in the individual recurve para-archery event.
- Sumit Antil defended his Paralympics title in the F64 javelin throw event, breaking his own record with a throw of 70.59 meters.
Government Support
Jhajharia credited the success to the schemes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government, including initiatives like TOPS and Khelo India. He emphasized that these efforts have transformed India into a sporting nation.
Conclusion
India finished the Paris Paralympics in 18th position overall, marking a significant achievement in the country’s sporting history.
Doubts Revealed
Paralympics -: The Paralympics are a major international sports event where athletes with disabilities compete. It’s like the Olympics but for people who have physical or intellectual challenges.
PCI -: PCI stands for Paralympic Committee of India. It’s the organization that helps Indian athletes with disabilities to compete in the Paralympics.
Devendra Jhajharia -: Devendra Jhajharia is a famous Indian Paralympic athlete and the President of the Paralympic Committee of India. He has won gold medals in javelin throw at the Paralympics.
Avani Lekhara -: Avani Lekhara is an Indian Paralympic shooter who won two gold medals at the Paris Paralympics. She is known for her amazing shooting skills.
Sumit Antil -: Sumit Antil is an Indian Paralympic athlete who competes in javelin throw. He set a new record with his throw at the Paris Paralympics.
Javelin throw -: Javelin throw is a sport where athletes throw a long spear called a javelin as far as they can. The person who throws it the farthest wins.
Tokyo 2020 -: Tokyo 2020 refers to the Paralympic Games that were held in Tokyo, Japan, in the year 2021. They were called Tokyo 2020 because they were originally scheduled for 2020 but got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.