India's Paralympic journey began at the Tel Aviv Games in 1968, with success steadily increasing since swimmer Murlikant Petkar won India's first gold medal in 1972.
Today, 52 years later, India is heading towards Paris 2024, aiming to achieve its best ever Paralympic performance. India’s rise in Paralympic sports is a story of patience and perseverance.
After Petkar's historic gold medal in Heidelberg, it took India 12 years to return to the Paralympic podium at Innsbruck 1984, where the country won two silver and two bronze medals in para athletics.
However, the wait for another gold medal lasted for two decades until Devendra Jhajharia won gold in javelin throw and Rajinder Singh won bronze in weightlifting at Athens 2004.
Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 have truly put India on the competition map. Nineteen athletes from five disciplines travelled to Brazil in 2016, almost double the number of participants at London 2012, and won three medals in para athletics.
Jhajharia won her second gold in the javelin, while Mariyappan Thangavelu won gold in the high jump. Deepa Malik created history as the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal with a silver in the shot put.
At Tokyo 2020, India sent its largest ever delegation, with 54 athletes competing across nine sports, resulting in unprecedented success.
In Para shooting, Avani Lekhara became the first Indian to win two Paralympic medals in one event, winning gold in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 and bronze in the Women's 50m Air Rifle 3 SH1.
Thangavelu and Jhajharia added silver medals to their previous golds, contributing to India's record 19 medals, including five golds, eight silvers and six bronzes.
Jaywant Hammanawar, Secretary General of the Indian Paralympic Committee, attributed the recent wave of success to government initiatives supporting talented athletes. “With the support of our Prime Minister, His Excellency Narendra Modi, the Paralympic movement in India is growing at a rapid pace,” Hammanawar said.
“The government under this leadership has launched the Olympic Podium Scheme which provides special support to medallists training for the Asian Paralympic and Paralympic Games. This scheme has played a significant role in India's medal tally growth in the last decade.”
Indian para-athletes enter Paris 2024 on a high note.
At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Paralympic Games, to be held in October 2023, 303 Indian athletes competed across 17 sports and managed to break a record by winning 111 medals – the highest number of medals ever won by India at an international multi-sport event.
Three Indian athletes set world records in Hangzhou: Gurjar Sundar Singh with a throw of 68.6m in the F46 javelin event, Sumit Antil with a throw of 73.29m in the F64 javelin event and the men's para compound archery team who set a world record by scoring 158 points.
Lekhara continued his dominance in para shooting by winning gold in 10m air rifle standing SH1, while Indian athletes won medals in various sports such as para-canoeing, para-badminton and para-weightlifting.
This positive momentum continued at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe earlier this year, where Simran won gold in the women's 200m T12 final, along with several other medals.
All these achievements set the stage for a strong Indian contingent at Paris 2024, which is expected to comprise around 35 athletes from 12 sports, who will be aiming for podium finishes in various events.
“We have set high targets for the coming years, aiming to win 25-30 medals, which will be our highest medal tally,” Hammanawar said.
“Our athletes have trained hard and are ready to make us proud. We have high expectations in several events, including para-archery, para-athletics and para-shooting. Our athletes have shown tremendous ability and determination in sports, and I believe we will shine on the world stage.”
“Our ultimate goal is to finish in the top five among all participating countries. We know it is ambitious, but with hard work and dedication from the team, we are confident it can be achieved.”
Article tag: Paralympic Games
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