India Shines at Paris Paralympics with Record-Breaking Performances

Indian para-athlete Dipesh Kumar finishes 7th in javelin at Paris Paralympics. Praveen Kumar secures gold in high jump with new Asian record. India’s medal tally reaches 26, marking its best ever Paralympic performance. Largest contingent of 84 athletes aims to surpass Tokyo 2020 achievements.

In the ongoing Paris Paralympics, Indian para-athlete Dipesh Kumar finished seventh in the men's javelin throw F54 final on Friday. Competing against six other athletes, Dipesh managed a best throw of 26.11 meters, ultimately placing him last in the contest.

The podium saw Ivan Revenko (30.77m), Edgar Ulises Fuentes Yanez (30.53m), and Emmanouil Stefanoudakis (30.13m) take the top three spots. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) took to social media platform X to commend Dipesh: "Despite his tremendous effort, Dipesh finishes 7th. Be proud of your efforts. Continue supporting the Indian contingent, #Cheer4Bharat."

In para-canoeing, Yash Kumar finished sixth in the men's KL1 200m heats, progressing to the semifinals, while Prachi Yadav and Pooja Ojha also advanced in their respective heats. Promising news came from the women's 200m T12, where Simran qualified for the semifinals with a heat win of 25.41 seconds.

Highlighting the event was Praveen Kumar, who secured a gold medal in the men's high jump T64 final, setting a new Asian record with a jump of 2.08 meters. This victory brings India's overall medal count to 26, featuring six golds, nine silvers, and eleven bronzes, marking the highest gold tally in the country's Paralympics history.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics hosts India's largest-ever contingent of 84 athletes participating across 12 sports. This milestone underscores the country's growing investment in para-sports and aims to surpass the achievements of Tokyo 2020, which was previously the most successful with 19 medals incluidsing five golds. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)