Tuesday marked the arrival of India’s Paralympic contingent at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, following their historic performance at the Paralympic Games in Paris. A sizable crowd assembled, revelling in the athletes’ incredible accomplishments while dancing to the lively beats of dhols.
India finished their Paralympic campaign in Paris on Sunday with a record-breaking haul of 29 medals, including seven golds, nine silvers, and 13 bronzes – the highest tally India has ever achieved in Paralympics history. This monumental success surpassed the previous record of 19 medals, which was set during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, placing India 18th in the overall standings.
Avani Lekhara Shines with Historic Golds
Para-shooter Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to secure two Paralympic gold medals, defending her women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 title with a world-record score of 249.7 points. Her stunning performance rewrote history for India in the Paralympics.
India’s First-Ever One-Two Finish in Para-Athletics
India also celebrated a milestone in para-athletics, with Dharambir and Parnav Soorma achieving a one-two finish in the men’s club throw F51 event. Dharambir clinched the gold with an Asian record throw of 34.92 m, while Soorma took the silver. These were India’s first-ever medals in this sport at the Paralympics.
Praveen Kumar Sets Asian Record in High Jump
Praveen Kumar brought home India’s sixth gold, setting an Asian record in the T64 high jump with an impressive 2.08 m jump. This performance added another first to India’s Paralympic journey.
Sumit Antil Defends His Javelin Title
Javelin ace Sumit Antil made history by becoming the first Indian male to successfully defend his Paralympic title, securing back-to-back golds in the F64 event with a stunning throw of 70.59 m, breaking his own record from Tokyo 2020 three times.
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