Paris Paralympics 2024: Preethi Pal wins bronze medal in women’s 200m T35 event

Preethi Pal won a bronze medal in the women’s 200m T35 at Paris Paralympics 2024 on Sunday with a timing of 30.01s. This is India’s second medal in a track event at the Para Games.

Preethi Pal also won bronze in women’s 100m-T35. | Photo Credit: Getty Images for IPC

India’s Preethi Pal won bronze medal in women’s 100m-T35 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Sunday.

She recorded a personal best timing of 30.01s, finishing behind China’s Xia Zhou and Qianqian Guo.

Earlier, Preethi also won bronze in the women’s 100m T35 which was India’s first medal in a track event at the Para Games 2024.

In that event she also finished behind the Chinese athletes.

With these two medals, Preethi became the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win multiple Paralympic medals.

T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.

Preethi faced significant physical challenges when she was born as her lower body was plastered for six days after birth. Weak legs and an irregular leg posture made her prone to various diseases.

She underwent various traditional treatments to strengthen her legs, including wearing calipers for eight years from the age of five.

At 17, Preethi’s perspective began to change when she watched the Paralympic Games on social media. But her life-changing moment came when she met Paralympic athlete Fatima Khatoon, who introduced her to para-athletics.

With her second bronze, Preethi takes India’s medal tally to six.

(With inputs from PTI)