India’s Paralympic team has made history at the ongoing 2024 Paris Paralympics, surpassing all previous records with an impressive tally of 20 medals by Day 6. This achievement eclipses the nation’s best-ever haul of 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, setting a new standard of success for Indian para athletes.
The medal surge began on Monday when India secured eight medals in a single day, a record-breaking achievement in itself. The momentum continued into Tuesday, with the para athletics team adding five more medals to India’s count, all within just 30 minutes past midnight.
A major highlight came from the javelin throw event, where India celebrated a rare double podium finish. Ajeet Singh took the silver with a personal best throw of 65.62 metres in the F46 category, while Sundar Singh Gurjar earned the bronze with a season-best throw of 64.96 metres in the same event.
In another remarkable performance, Sharad Kumar won a silver medal in the men’s high jump T63 final, setting a new Paralympic record with a jump of 1.88 metres, improving upon his bronze from Tokyo. Mariyappan Thangavelu, the Tokyo gold medalist, also added a bronze with a jump of 1.85 metres.
Twenty-year-old sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji, the reigning world champion in the women’s 400m T20 event, secured a hard-earned bronze in her debut Paralympic appearance, finishing with a time of 55.82 seconds.
These five medals pushed India’s athletics medal count past the total from Tokyo, surpassing its previous haul of 10 athletics medals. Additionally, India bettered its badminton tally of four medals from the last edition. With this success, India now holds 3 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze medals, placing 17th on the overall medal table.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu have congratulated the athletes on their incredible achievements. With more events in archery, cycling, and athletics to come, India’s medal count is expected to rise, setting the stage for the country’s most successful Paralympic campaign yet. The 2024 Paris Paralympics has firmly established India’s para sports movement on the global stage.
