PM Modi Celebrates India’s Historic 29 Medals at Paris Paralympics
New Delhi, India – Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with India’s para-athletes who made history at the Paris Paralympics. He praised their contributions, saying their achievements go beyond medals by inspiring self-belief among specially-abled people.
Meeting with Para-Athletes
PM Modi hosted the para-athletes at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, and commended their performances. He highlighted their extraordinary qualities and resilience, stating, “You embraced what the country was feeling and delivered fine performances.”
He encouraged more participation in para-sports to foster respect for specially-abled individuals. “Your contribution is more than a medal; you are producing belief in specially-abled people that they are no less,” he added.
Coaches’ Role
PM Modi emphasized the importance of coaches understanding the lives of para-athletes. “Before teaching the specially-abled, the coaches need to mentally prepare themselves to live that life,” he said.
Historic Achievements
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse, and PCI president Devendra Jhajharia were also present. Paralympic gold medallist Avani Lekhara gifted PM Modi a signed Indian jersey.
India concluded its Paralympics campaign with a record 29 medals, including seven golds, nine silvers, and 13 bronzes, surpassing the previous record of 19 medals from Tokyo 2020. India finished 18th overall.
Notable Performances
- Avani Lekhara: First Indian woman to win two Paralympic golds, setting a world record in women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1.
- Dharambir and Parnav Soorma: Gold and silver in men’s club throw F51, with Dharambir setting an Asian record.
- Praveen Kumar: Gold in T64 high jump with an Asian record jump of 2.08 m.
- Harvinder Singh: First Indian archery champion in Paralympics, winning gold in individual recurve para-archery.
- Sumit Antil: Defended his Paralympics title in javelin throw F64 with a record-breaking throw of 70.59 m.
Doubts Revealed
PM Modi -: PM Modi is short for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the leader of India.
Paralympics -: The Paralympics are a major international sports event for athletes with disabilities, held after the Olympics.
Para-athletes -: Para-athletes are athletes who have physical disabilities and compete in sports.
Specially-abled -: Specially-abled is a respectful term used to describe people who have physical or mental disabilities.
Coaches -: Coaches are people who train and guide athletes to improve their performance in sports.
Avani Lekhara -: Avani Lekhara is an Indian para-athlete who competes in shooting and has set world records.
Sumit Antil -: Sumit Antil is an Indian para-athlete known for his record-breaking performances in javelin throw.
Javelin throw -: Javelin throw is a sport where an athlete throws a long spear-like object called a javelin as far as possible.