As the exhilaration of the Paris Olympics continues to wane and the city experiences the withdrawal symptoms from the grandeur of the Games, Paris must shift gears to prepare for the upcoming Paralympics, which commences on August 28.
Meanwhile, India is poised to move beyond the mixed emotions of its Olympic journey with renewed optimism and determination, aiming to surpass its previous medal tally at the Paralympics.
After debuting at the Summer Paralympics in 1968, India has been a regular participant since 1984. The 2020 Tokyo edition marked India’s most successful campaign to date, with the country finishing in 24th place with 19 medals — five gold, eight silver, and six bronze. Before this, India had accumulated just 12 medals across all previous Paralympic appearances, with four of each colour.
India first-ever Paralympic medal came at the 1972 Games when Murlikant Petkar won the 50m freestyle 3 event with a then-world record time of 37.33s.
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This year, India is set to make a significant leap in its representation at the Paris Paralympics. In Tokyo, India sent 54 athletes, including just 14 women.
For Paris, the team has expanded to 84 athletes, with women making up 32 participants. Out of the 84 athletes, 50 of them feature in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core list.
However, not all familiar faces will be present. Reigning Paralympic and World champion Pramod Bhagat, who won gold in the men’s singles SL3 category, has been excluded after being found guilty of breaching the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) anti-doping regulations due to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.
On target: Manish Narwal (in pic) and Nihal Singh will take the final quotas for the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 and mixed 50m pistol SH1 events, respectively. | Photo Credit: PTI
Ekta Bhyan, who finished eighth in the women’s club throw F51 at the Tokyo Games and clinched gold in the same event at the World Para Athletics Championships 2024, did not make the list for Paris, as her event is not included in the Paralympic roster.
Additionally, double Paralympic medallist shooter Singhraj Adhana misses out due to new competition rules from the International Paralympic Committee, which now allow only two shooters per event, as opposed to three in Tokyo.
At the Tokyo Games, the 42-year-old Adhana had won silver in the mixed 50m pistol SH1 and bronze in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 categories.
In Paris, Rudransh Khandelwal will compete in the same events, while Manish Narwal and Nihal Singh will take the final quotas for the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 and mixed 50m pistol SH1 events, respectively.
Despite these changes, four out of India’s five defending Paralympic champions will compete in Paris, including shooters Avani Lekhara and Narwal, badminton player Krishna Nagar, and javelin thrower Sumit Antil.
ALSO READ | Full list of Indian para athletes taking part at Paris Paralympics
Three years ago, Lekhara made history as the only Indian woman to win Paralympic gold, scoring 249.6 points in the SH1 standing 10m air rifle event, setting a new Paralympic record and equalling the world record.
She also became the first Indian woman to win multiple medals in a single edition, clinching bronze in the 50m 3-position rifle SH1.
At the Paris Paralympics, the 22-year-old shooter from Rajasthan will compete in three events: the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1, the mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1, and the women’s 50m 3-position rifle SH1.
In 2024, Avani won bronze medals in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event and R6 — mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 (with Sidhartha Babu and Deepak Saini) at the Para Shooting World Cup in New Delhi.
Her compatriot Mona Agarwal clinched the gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 ahead of China’s Zhang Cuiping, who won silver. Both of them will compete at the Paris Games.
Narwal, ranked third in the world, will also defend his title. In Tokyo, he set a new Paralympic record with 218.2 points in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event and won gold.
Their impressive performances are expected to bolster the 10-member team’s prospects.
FILE PHOTO: Sumit Antil is the world record-holder in men’s javelin throw F64. | Photo Credit: PTI
Nagar will be the sole gold medallist among India’s 13-member para-badminton contingent at the Paris Paralympics. The 4’5” Nagar won gold by outlasting Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai with a thrilling 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 victory in the men’s singles final of the SH6 class.
Nagar’s triumph marked India’s second Paralympic gold in para-badminton, following Bhagat’s win in Tokyo. Manoj Sarkar and Suhas Yathiraj also won medals at the Tokyo Games, with Sarkar claiming bronze in the men’s singles SL3 and Yathiraj taking silver in the men’s singles SL4.
In Paris, Yathiraj, the World No. 1 in men’s singles SL4, and Sarkar, ranked fourth in men’s singles SL3, will compete in the same events as in Tokyo. Additionally, Yathiraj will compete in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event.
Sumit, the only Indian para-athlete to win gold in athletics at the Tokyo Games, shattered his world record in the men’s javelin throw (F64) with a remarkable distance of 68.55m.
Since then, he has continued to excel, setting the current world record with a 73.29m throw at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in October 2023. Antil will lead a 38-member track and field team for the Paris Paralympics.
Two-time Paralympic medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu will want to replicate his gold medal-winning performance from the Rio Games in the men’s high jump T-42 event, where he cleared 1.89m.
In Tokyo, he finished second behind Sam Grewe in the men’s high jump T-63. His teammate, Sharad Kumar, earned bronze in the same event.
In 2024, Mariyappan reclaimed his form by breaking the championship record with a jump of 1.88m in the men’s high jump T-63 final at the World Para Athletics Championships, securing gold.
The Indian para table tennis campaign is led by two women: Bhavinaben Patel and Sonalben Patel. Bhavinaben, 37, won silver in the women’s singles Class 4 at the Tokyo Paralympics and followed up with gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games. Partnering with her in the women’s doubles WD 10 event is Sonalben, who also earned a CWG bronze in the women’s singles — Classes 3-5.
In addition to these disciplines, India will compete in eight other sports at the Paris Paralympics: para canoeing, para-cycling, blind judo, para powerlifting, para-rowing, para-swimming, para taekwondo, and para archery.
All eyes will be on 17-year-old Sheetal Devi as she makes her Paralympic debut, competing in the women’s compound open and mixed team compound open events.
Cynosure of attention: Sheetal Devi, India’s first armless archer, will make her Paralympic debut, competing in the women’s compound open and mixed team compound open events. | Photo Credit: PTI
The armless archer, part of the six-member archery squad for the Games, has already made a name for herself with a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Archery Championships and two golds and a silver at the 2022 Asian Para Games. Rising to World No. 1 in women’s para compound archery in the open category, she was named World Archery’s ‘Best Women’s Para Archer of 2023”.
In 2024, Sheetal added a silver medal at the Khelo India NTPC National Ranking archery meet and secured gold in the women’s compound team event with Sarita at the Para Archery Ranking Series in Czechia.
The Indian contingent will showcase a mix of seasoned champions and promising newcomers, each striving to make a significant impact.
With the Paralympic Games just around the corner, all eyes will be on these athletes as they seek to achieve new milestones and etch their names into Paralympic history.
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