India at Paris Paralympics 2024: Full list of Indian silver medallists at Para Games

India won nine silver medals at the 2024 Paralympics, two more than the last edition as the athletes contributed significantly to the country’s best-ever performance at the Games.

Manish Narwal claimed his second Paralympic medal at the Paris Paralympics, winning silver in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

From Yogesh Kathuniya to Manish Narwal, here is a list of all Indians who won silver at the Paralympic Games 2024.

India won nine silver medals at the 2024 Paralympics, two more than the last edition as the athletes contributed significantly to the country’s best-ever performance at the Games.

Manish Narwal

Category: Shooting (Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1)

Manish Narwal claimed his second Paralympic medal at the Paris Paralympics, winning silver in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event, a category for athletes who shoot without a stand and rely on their impaired non-shooting arm for support.

The 21-year-old, born with a congenital impairment in his right hand, was introduced to shooting in 2016 when his family took him to a local range.

Under the mentorship of Jai Prakash Nautiyal and Subhash Rana, Manish’s international career took off at the 2017 Bangkok World Cup, where he won gold in the P1 10m Air Pistol SH1 and set a Junior World Record.

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His rise continued when he secured India’s second para shooting gold in the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol event at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. He followed that success with a bronze medal in the men’s P1 10m Air Pistol SH1 event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

Nishad Kumar

Category: Athletics (Men’s High Jump T47)

Inspired by his mother, a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower, Nishad initially pursued wrestling and athletics before finding his passion in the high jump. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Nishad Kumar secured India’s seventh medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, earning silver with a jump of 2.04 metres in the men’s high jump T47 final, an event for athletes with impairments below the elbow or wrist.

This silver mirrored his achievement at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where he also took home a silver medal.

Nishad’s life took a dramatic turn at age six when he lost his right hand in an accident involving a grass-cutting machine on his family farm.

Inspired by his mother, a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower, Nishad initially pursued wrestling and athletics before finding his passion in the high jump.

He gained international recognition after winning bronze at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, followed by a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

In 2022, he won gold in the men’s high jump T47 at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games and continued his success with back-to-back silver medals at the World Championships in 2023 and 2024.

Thulasimathi Murugesan

Category: Badminton (Women’s Singles SU5)

Earlier, at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, she had won gold in women’s singles. She also partnered with Nitesh Kumar to win bronze in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 and with Manasi Joshi to claim silver in women’s doubles SL3-SU5 | Photo Credit: PTI

Hailing from a modest family in Kancheepuram, near Chennai, Thulasimathi Murugesan was born with a deformity in her left hand. Despite financial hardships, her father, Murugesan, a sports enthusiast, encouraged his daughters to pursue sports.

At 22, Thulasimathi became the first Indian female to reach a para-badminton final at the Paralympics, defeating compatriot Manisha Ramadass in the semifinals. She secured a silver medal in the SU5 category after a straight-game loss to Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Yang Qiu Xia of China.

Earlier, at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, she had won gold in women’s singles. She also partnered with Nitesh Kumar to win bronze in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 and with Manasi Joshi to claim silver in women’s doubles SL3-SU5. Thulasimathi and Manasi went on to secure another silver at the 2024 World Championships.

Suhas Yathiraj

Category: Badminton (Men’s Singles SL4)

Born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle, Suhas overcame physical challenges to pursue both his passion for badminton and a successful career as an IAS officer. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Suhas Yathiraj claimed a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics in the men’s singles SL4 category, which is designated for athletes with impairments in one or both lower limbs and minimal difficulty in walking or running.

He narrowly missed out on gold, losing to France’s Lucas Mazur in the final, marking his second consecutive silver after a similar result at the Tokyo Games. Suhas remains the only Indian para-badminton player to win back-to-back Paralympic medals.

Born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle, Suhas overcame physical challenges to pursue both his passion for badminton and a successful career as an IAS officer.

The 41-year-old’s rise to prominence began with a gold medal at the 2016 Asian Para-Badminton Championships. He later won a bronze at the 2018 Asian Para Games, followed by a gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

Sharad Kumar

Category: Athletics (Men’s High Jump T63)

Sharad Kumar’s international career took off at the 2010 Asian Para Games, and in 2012, he became the World No. 1 after clearing 1.75m at the Malaysian Open Para Athletics Championship. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Sharad Kumar upgraded his bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics to silver in the men’s high jump T63 category — which also included athletes from T42 — at Paris 2024. The T63 classification is for athletes with a single through-knee or above-knee limb deficiency.

Sharad was diagnosed with polio myelitis at age two, which left his left leg paralysed. Despite this, he excelled in high jump during his school years.

His international career took off at the 2010 Asian Para Games, and in 2012, he became the World No. 1 after clearing 1.75m at the Malaysian Open Para Athletics Championship.

Although Sharad missed the London Paralympics due to a doping violation, he bounced back by winning gold at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Para Games. He also claimed silver at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships with a jump of 1.84m. At Paris 2024, he surpassed compatriot Mariyappan Thangavelu’s Paralympic record (in T42) by clearing 1.88m, bettering Thangavelu’s 1.86m mark set in Tokyo.

Ajeet Singh

Category: Athletics (Men’s Javelin Throw F46)

Alongside his athletic achievements, Ajeet is pursuing a Ph.D. in physical education at the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) in Gwalior, reflecting his deep passion for sports. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Ajeet Singh earned his first Paralympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games, winning silver in the javelin throw F46 category, which is for athletes with moderate arm impairments or limb absence.

In 2017, Ajeet lost his left arm below the elbow in an accident while trying to rescue a friend from a train. Remarkably, just four months later, he resumed training and made his national debut in 2018 at the Para Athletic Senior National event in Panchkula, Haryana.

His international breakthrough came in 2019, when he won gold at the Beijing Grand Prix and secured bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. He continued his success with a gold at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

Alongside his athletic achievements, Ajeet is pursuing a Ph.D. in physical education at the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) in Gwalior, reflecting his deep passion for sports.

Sachin Khilari

Category: Athletics (Men’s Shot Put F46)

As a child, Khilari suffered a bicycle accident that led to permanent damage, limiting the movement in his left hand. Despite these challenges, he pursued his athletic dreams | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Sachin Khilari won a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics in the men’s shot put F46 category, which is for athletes with arm deficiencies, impaired muscle power, or limited range of motion in their arms, competing in a standing position. The 34-year-old achieved this with an impressive Asian record throw of 16.32m.

As a child, Khilari suffered a bicycle accident that led to permanent damage, limiting the movement in his left hand. Despite these challenges, he pursued his athletic dreams, initially competing in javelin before switching to shot put due to a shoulder injury.

In 2023, he won his first world para title with an Asian record throw of 16.21m at the World Para Athletics Championships. He continued his success with another title at the Asian Para Games. At the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, Khilari set a new personal best throw of 16.30m to secure gold once again.

Pranav Soorma

Category: Athletics (Men’s Club Throw F51)

For Pranav, who works as an assistant manager at a nationalised bank, achieving such a performance in his debut Paralympics signals promising future prospects. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

India achieved five double-podium finishes at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, with the standout performance coming in the men’s club throw F51 event. Dharambir secured gold with a new Asian record throw of 34.92m, while Pranav Soorma took silver with a throw of 34.59m.

This result reversed the podium positions from the previous year’s Asian Games. For Pranav, who works as an assistant manager at a nationalised bank, achieving such a performance in his debut Paralympics signals promising future prospects.

Pranav became quadriplegic at age 16 when the roof of his house collapsed on him in 2011, causing severe spinal cord damage and resulting in the loss of movement in his legs and hands.

In the F51 category, athletes sit in a throwing frame within a circle consisting of a chair and a vertical pole. They have all six attempts at once and use a sticky substance to grip the wooden club, which weighs approximately 400g.

Yogesh Kathuniya

Category: Athletics (Men’s Discus Throw F56)

After clinching a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, Kathuniya again finished with a silver medal — but there’s no room for complaints, given the tough couple of years leading up to the event. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

After clinching a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya found himself in a bit of a “silver rut,” unable to reach the top spot on the podium. In Paris, he again finished with a silver medal — but there’s no room for complaints, given the tough couple of years leading up to the event.

At just nine years old, Yogesh was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune condition that attacks the body’s nerves. It left him wheelchair-bound for two years. At the time, walking again, let alone playing sports, seemed like a distant dream.

However, his parents, Meena Devi, a homemaker, and Gyanchand Kathuniya, a retired Indian Army officer, refused to give up on him. Meena even learned physiotherapy to aid her son’s recovery, and sure enough, within three years, Yogesh was back on his feet.

In 2016, at the age of 19, Yogesh discovered para sports with the help of Sachin Yadav, the General Secretary of the student union at Kirori Mal College. From that moment, there was no looking back.

Yet, 2023 brought new challenges. Yogesh contracted chickenpox early in the year and was later diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy affecting the C4, C5, and C6 vertebrae

Despite these setbacks, he fought through to win a silver at the Asian Games. His silver medal-winning throw of 42.22m in Paris was his season’s best — a performance that has only intensified the 27-year-old’s hunger for gold.