In a great feat, India ended its campaign in the Paris Paralympics 2024 with an incredible 29 medals putting India in the list of top 20 countries. This performance is a big jump from the Tokyo Paralympics, which the India team had participated in and won 19 medals. Overall, the Indian contingent stood at the 18th position in terms of medals having secured 7 gold, 9 silver and 13 bronze. India failed to achieve the target of 30 medals but the country must be proud that the number of medals it has won at the Games is the highest so far.
Pooja Ojha Falls Short in Final Sprint, But India Finishes Strong
India was close to being able to convincingly secure the 30th medal when Pooja Ojha crashed out of the final scene in the women’s kayak single 200m KL1 sprint canoeing event. However, India achieved more than what it did in Tokyo where the country finished a cumulative tally of 19 medals with a record 7 golds, and Even more than the 5 golds earned in Tokyo.
Navdeep Singh Clinches Last-Minute Gold in Javelin
The last medal for Indian was the athletics area came from where Navdeep Singh made the fascinating throw in the men’s javelin F41 event. His silver medal was upgraded to gold, cementing India’s fascinating performance and putting an end on the nation’s campaign at the Paralympics 2024 Games.
Top 5 Takeaways from India’s 2024 Paralympic Success
- India’s Best Paralympic Performance Yet: With 29 medals, this is India’s highest-ever medal haul at a Paralympic event.
- Unmatched Athletics Dominance: India’s para-athletes dominated track and field events, collecting a whopping 17 medals in this category alone.
- 7 Golds for the First Time: This is the first time India has won 7 gold medals, showcasing a massive improvement from the previous editions.
- Top 20 Finish: India finished in 18th place, surpassing countries like Switzerland, Belgium, and South Korea in the medal tally.
- Beating Global Competitors: India secured a higher rank than many established sporting nations, further proving its rise in the global Paralympics 2024 scene.
Complete List of India’s Medal Winners at Paris Paralympics 2024
- Avani Lekhara – Gold, Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 (Shooting)
- Mona Agarwal – Bronze, Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 (Shooting)
- Preethi Pal – Bronze, Women’s 100m T35 (Athletics)
- Manish Narwal – Silver, Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Shooting)
- Rubina Francis – Bronze, Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Shooting)
- Preethi Pal – Bronze, Women’s 200m T35 (Athletics)
- Nishad Kumar – Silver, Men’s High Jump T47 (Athletics)
- Yogesh Kathuniya – Silver, Men’s Discus Throw F56 (Athletics)
- Nitesh Kumar – Gold, Men’s Singles SL3 (Badminton)
- Thulasimathi Murugesan – Silver, Women’s Singles SU5 (Badminton)
- Manisha Ramadass – Bronze, Women’s Singles SU5 (Badminton)
- Suhas Yathiraj – Silver, Men’s Singles SL4 (Badminton)
- Rakesh Kumar / Sheetal Devi – Bronze, Mixed Team Compound Open (Archery)
- Sumit Antil – Gold, Men’s Javelin Throw F64 (Athletics)
- Nithya Sre Sivan – Bronze, Women’s Singles SH6 (Badminton)
- Deepthi Jeevanji – Bronze, Women’s 400m T20 (Athletics)
- Sundar Singh Gurjar – Bronze, Men’s Javelin F46 (Athletics)
- Ajeet Singh – Silver, Men’s Javelin F46 (Athletics)
- Mariyappan Thangavelu – Bronze, Men’s High Jump T63 (Athletics)
- Sharad Kumar – Silver, Men’s High Jump T63 (Athletics)
- Sachin Khilari – Silver, Men’s Shot Put F46 (Athletics)
- Harvinder Singh – Gold, Men’s Individual Recurve (Archery)
- Dharambir – Gold, Men’s Club Throw F51 (Athletics)
- Pranav Soorma – Silver, Men’s Club Throw F51 (Athletics)
- Kapil Parmar – Bronze, Men’s -60kg (Judo)
- Praveen Kumar – Gold, Men’s High Jump T64 (Athletics)
- Hokato Sema – Bronze, Men’s Shot Put F57 (Athletics)
- Simran Singh – Bronze, Women’s 200m T12 (Athletics)
- Navdeep Singh – Gold, Men’s Javelin F41 (Athletics)
A Record-Breaking Performance in Track and Field Events
The sporting discipline that produced the best results for the Indian contingent was athletics where the para athletes won 17 medals and dominated on the tracks and the fields. In events such as javelin throwing and high jump the Indian team managed to bag multiple golds proved a strong bench mark in these disciplines.
India Surpasses Tokyo Performance, Sets New Benchmark
India’s para-athletes performed beyond everyone’s expectation by topping the 19 medals, which the country clinched in the Tokyo Paralympics, 2021. The record 29-medal tally reflects the development of India’s Paralympic programme that began to take shape in the 2016 Rio Paralympics where the country had only four medals.
This uptick is also visible in the world ranking wherein India was placed 18th and that is a better outing than the 24th place finish in Tokyo.
How India Outshone Global Competitors
In this Paralympics 2024 games, India’s performance was exemplary making the nation to complete above traditional sporting nations such as Switzerland, South Korea, Belgium and Turkey. China dominated the arena and for China it was more of the same as they won over 200 medals. India proved its point with better performance than last year with as many as 29 medals.
On the other hand, Pakistan remained at the last place along with Vietnam, Nepal and some other countries grabbing only one bronze medal.
Looking Ahead: India’s Para-Athletes on a Rising Curve
India’s good show at the just concluded Paris Paralympics 2024 clearly point towards its gradual upward trend on the International Paralympic map. That is why, the desire of the athletes, along with the backing from the organizations and the government indicate that India’s greatest achievements are yet unseen.
[…] Sharma, the Indian cricket team captain and five-time IPL-winning skipper for Mumbai Indians (MI), may be nearing the […]