India ended its Special Olympics World Games 2023 campaign by winning 202 medals (76 gold, 75 silver and 51 bronze), with the last of the medals coming from the athletics track.
Indian athletes notched six medals from the track events (2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze). The headlines would undoubtedly go to the gold medallists Aanchal Goyal (400m, Level B Female) and Ravimathi Arumugam (400m, Level C Female) who blew away their competition to take the top of the podium.
Saket Kundu, who had earlier grabbed a silver medal in the mini javelin Level B, also won a bronze in the Level B 400m, a rare double act in the track and field.
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Speaking about the Indian contingent’s performance at the Berlin Games, Chairperson Special Olympics Bharat, Dr. Mallika Nada was keen to highlight not just their performance but also the need for inclusion and acceptance of these athletes by the mainstream.
“A huge number of our athletes have faced social discrimination of various forms, and are regarded as non functioning members of society in various quarters. It is an obsolete thought, and an inaccurate one too. Their performance in the sporting arena prove that they are capable of great feats, or strength, speed, concentration and discipline. And I hope this opens the eyes of those on the outside and proves that we need to expand this movement further and make it more inclusive.”
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