The Paralympics kicked off on Wednesday, August 28, with an opening ceremony in Paris, France. This time, India is in the game with its largest-ever contingent of 84 athletes, hoping to surpass its previous records. India has won a total of 31 Paralympic medals, 19 of which were from the last Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals.
Team India at Paris Paralympic opening ceremony
With a less-than-satisfying performance in the Paris Olympic 2024, India is now targeting 25 medals in this Paralympics edition.
Devendra Jhajharia, a double medallist in the Paralympics and now the President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), said in a video message, “Our 84-member team has come here with great enthusiasm. As the President of the Paralympic Committee, I want to tell you that we are going to create history in this tournament,” as the team reached the venue. “We will win more medals than we ever have in the history of the Paralympics. When we repeatedly say that we will win more than 25 medals and that we will be in the medal tally of the top 20 countries, it is because our preparation is excellent, whether it be athletics, badminton, or archery,” he added.
Among the top performers last time was Avani Lekhra, who became the first Indian female athlete to win a gold medal at the Paralympics by winning the 10m air rifle SH1. Avani is paralyzed from the waist down and shoots from a wheelchair. Based on her past performances, India is hoping for some additions to the medal tally. Shooter
Manish Narwal and shuttler Krishna Nagar carry the responsibility of defending their previous golds. Sumit Antil, who throws the javelin with his prosthetic leg, broke records in the last Paralympics by winning gold and has since only improved his game.
Players like para-archer Sheetal Devi, Harvinder Singh, Hokato Sema (shot putter), Narayana Konganapalle (rower), Deepthi Jeevanji (women's 400m T20; intellectual disability), Mariyappan Thangavelu (men's high jump - T63), Yogesh Kathuniya (men's discus throw - F56), Suhas Yathiraj (men's singles SL4 and mixed doubles SL3- SU5) are already rising stars and will be fighting hard to add to their existing tallies. Compared to 9 sports and 54 members in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, India is participating in 12 sports this time with 84 members, so the stakes are high, and India is hoping for the best.
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