India will hope to record its best-ever performance at the Paralympic Games during the upcoming edition which will be held from August 28 to September 8.
India has won 31 medals at the Paralympics - 9 gold medals, 12 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals.
Here is a list of all the athletes who have won gold medal for India at the Paralympics:
Murlikant Petkar - Swimming (Men’s 50m Freestyle 3) - 1972
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma Shri on India’s First Paralympic Gold Medallist, Murlikant Rajaram Petkar during the Padma Awards 2018 function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: PTI
Murlikant Petkar won gold in the men’s 50m freestyle 3 event at the 1972 Heidelberg Games. Petkar set what was then a world record time of 37.33 seconds. Petkar’s victory made him both India’s first medallist and gold medallist at the Paralympics.
Devendra Jhajharia - Athletics (Men’s Javelin Throw F44/46) - 2004, 2016
FILE PHOTO: Devendra Jhajharia | Photo Credit: AP
Devendra Jhajaria became India’s second Paralympic gold medallist at the 2004 Athens Games when he came first in the men’s javelin throw F44/46 event. Like Petkar, Jhajharia broke the then world record by managing a distance of 62.15m. Jhajaria then broke his own world record at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in the men’s javelin throw F46 event with a distance of 63.97m to clinch his second gold medal.
Mariyappan Thangavelu - Athletics (Men’s High Jump F42) - 2016
FILE PHOTO: Mariyappan Thangavelu. | Photo Credit: G.P. Sampath Kumar/The Hindu
Mariyappan Thangavelu clinched gold medal in the men’s high jump F42 event. He did so at the Rio 2016 Games, clearing the height of 1.89m.
Avani Lekhara - Shooting (Women’s 10m Air Rifle SH1) - 2020
FILE PHOTO: Shooter Avani Lekhara. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Avani Lekhara became India’s first female Paralympic gold medallist when she topped the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 final at the Tokyo 2020 edition. She set a new Paralympic record of 249.6 in the process. Lekhara also won bronze in women’s 50m rifle 3 position SH1 event at the same edition.
Sumit Antil - Athletics (Men’s javelin throw F64) - 2020
FILE PHOTO: Sumit Antil. | Photo Credit: AP
Sumit Antil managed the remarkable feat of breaking the world record thrice on his way to gold medal in men’s javelin throw F64 event at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Antil opened with 66.95m to break his own world record of 62.88m from 2019. He followed it up wit a second throw of 68.08m before producing 68.55m, his biggest throw in the final, in the penultimate round.
Manish Narwal - Shooting (Mixed 50m Pistol SH1) - 2020
FILE PHOTO: Shooter Manish Narwal. | Photo Credit: PTI
Manish Narwal set a new Paralympic record as he bagged the gold medal in P4 - Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event at the 2020 Tokyo Games. After qualifying in seventh position, Narwal topped the final with a score of 218.2
Pramod Bhagat - Badminton (Men’s Singles SL3) - 2020
FILE PHOTO: Pramod Bhagat. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Pramod Bhagat won 21-14, 21-17 against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in the Tokyo 2020 Games to take the gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 event. In doing so, Bhagat became the first badminton champion in Paralympic history.
Krishna Nagar - Badminton (Men’s Singles SL6) - 2020
FILE PHOTO: Krishna Nagar. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Krishna Nagar gave India a second gold in badminton in the SL6 event by defeating Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 in the gold medal match.
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