India won its first Paralympic medal in 1972.

India made its Paralympic debut in 1968 and has participated in every edition since 1984. The country has missed only four editions of the games. Indian athletes have broken records and won medals at the Paralympics.

India's first medal was won at the Heidelberg Olympics in 1972. Murlikant Petkar, a former Army Jawan, won the gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle event number 3. It was a significant achievement for the country participating in the Paralympics for the second time.

The Indian contingent saw 10 athletes compete in the first two editions of the Paralympic Games. The 1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York Paralympics saw the games held in two different countries.

England hosted an event for wheelchair athletes with spinal cord injuries in Stoke Mandeville. Meanwhile, the United States is hosting events for ambulatory athletes with cerebral palsy, amputees, blind athletes and visually impaired athletes.

Read alsoWho is the youngest Indian athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics?

Two Indian para-athletes won medals at the 1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York games. Bhimrao Kesarkar won the silver medal in the men's javelin throw L6. This match will always be remembered because Joginder Singh Bedi won three medals. Bedi won silver medals in the men's shot put L6, bronze medals in the javelin throw L6 and the discus throw L6.

It was the first time at the Paralympics that Indian athletes shared the podium. Bedi and Kesarkar finished second and third respectively in the men's javelin throw L6.

Rajinder Singh Rahelu won his country's first weightlifting medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games. He won bronze in the men's 56 kg weightlifting event.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Deepa Malik became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the event. She won a silver medal in the women's shot put F53 with a best effort of 4.63 m. Malik's victory in Rio played a significant role in inspiring female athletes across the country.

He was appointed as the sub-regional representative for South Asia by the Asian Paralympic Committee in 2024. Malik and Devendra Jhajharia have played a significant role in creating awareness and setting records in this field with their talent. Jhajharia is one of the most decorated Paralympic athletes with two gold medals and a silver in the men's javelin throw F46/F44 event.

Jhajharia was appointed as the president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in 2024 and the position was previously held by Malik. They encouraged young athletes to bag more medals and achieve success at the Paralympics.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics were a big boost for the country as the athletes returned home with 19 medals. Avani Lekhara opened the Indian record in shooting, while Harvinder Singh did the same in archery. Bhavina Patel also won India's first medal in table tennis. Sumit Antil won the gold medal and broke the world record three times in the men's javelin throw F64 final.

Athletics played an important role for India in the Paralympics. Along with this, shooting and badminton also produced many medals for the athletes. With the inclusion of more sports in the Paralympics, Indian participation has increased.

India wins Paralympic medals in all sports

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