India Triumphs and Trials at Paris Paralympics: Medals, Misses, and Historical Milestones

India's para-athletes shine at Paris Paralympics with historical wins and several medals. Despite setbacks, the contingent's success marks a remarkable achievement in 2024, surpassing previous records. Harvinder's gold in para-archery and several other wins propel India to new heights.

Top-ranked para-judo player Kapil Parmar exited the Men's J1 - 60 KG category at the Paris Paralympics following a 0-10 semifinal loss to Iran's S. Banitaba Khorram Abadi on Thursday.

Parmar had previously triumphed over Venezuela's Marcos Dennis Blanco with a 10-0 victory in the quarterfinals. In a challenging bout, Kokila was defeated 0-10 by Ukraine's Yuliia Ivanytska in the preliminary rounds of the J2 - 48 KG category.

On Wednesday, Harvinder etched his name in history by securing India's first-ever gold in para-archery, defeating Poland's Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the individual recurve final. Harvinder's success followed his bronze win at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, contributing to India's second archery medal in Paris, alongside a bronze by Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi in the mixed team compound event.

Elsewhere, Pooja narrowly missed out in the quarterfinals of the Women's Individual Recurve Open, being edged out 4-6 by China's Wu Chunyan. Meanwhile, Sachin Khilari clinched a silver medal in the men's shot put F46 final, setting an area best (AB) with a throw of 16.32 meters, despite falling just 0.6m short of gold.

India's paralympians amassed 24 medals, surpassing their Tokyo 2020 record, with five gold, nine silver, and ten bronze. Ranked 15th in the medal tally, the Indian team looks to extend its record in the days ahead, building on the 19-medal haul from the Tokyo edition.

(With inputs from agencies.)