Harvinder Singh's Historic Gold in Para-Archery Boosts India's Paralympics Medal Tally

Harvinder Singh made history by winning India's first-ever gold in para-archery at the Paralympics. Alongside a bronze from the archery team, India's medal tally now stands at 25 with five golds, moving them to 16th place.

Paralympic gold medallist Harvinder Singh expressed immense pride as the national anthem played in his honor. Singh made history by securing India's first gold in para-archery at the Paralympics, overpowering Poland's Lukasz Ciszek in a decisive 6-0 victory.

Speaking to ANI, Singh reflected on his triumph at the Paris Paralympics. 'It is a very proud feeling. I am feeling good that the dream that I saw when I started playing has been fulfilled... It is a proud moment for a player when the national anthem is played when he is standing on the podium,' he said.

Harvinder Singh's coach, Gaurav Sharma, praised the athlete's performance, calling it historic for India. 'There can be no bigger 'Guru Dakshina' than this...We performed very well here and created history...,' Sharma told ANI.

In addition to Singh's gold, archers Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi secured a bronze in the mixed team compound event. However, Singh and Pooja narrowly missed out on another bronze in the mixed team recurve open.

This is the first time the Indian para-archery team has won two medals in a single Paralympics, contributing to India's total of 25 medals at the Paris Games. India's tally includes five gold, nine silver, and 11 bronze medals, placing the nation in the 16th position in the overall standings.

(With inputs from agencies.)