India’s contingent at the 2024 Paris Paralympics saw 84 para-athletes participate across 12 sporting disciplines. Sumit Antil and Bhagyashree Jadhav were the flag-bearers for the opening ceremony.
The 2020 Tokyo Paralympics had been India’s most successful edition with a haul of 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals.
Indian athletes were looking to improve on their performances from the previous edition, and they duly delivered. India ended up with a total of 29 medals, with seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals.
Indian para-archer Harvinder Singh and para-athlete Preethi Pal were the flag-bearers at the closing ceremony. Here’s an overview of India’s performance at the 2024 Paralympics.
Title defenders
India had two athletes who defended their gold medals from the Tokyo Paralympics, with Avani Lekhara (Shooting) and Sumit Antil (Javelin Throw) leading the way again.
Lekhara came back from a losing position in her R2 10m Rifle SH1 category, showcasing nerves of steel and calmness beyond her years to clinch the gold yet again.
Antil also broke the discipline record in the Javelin F64 event with a massive throw of 70.59 metres and re-established himself as the undisputed champion of the sport.
First-time medal winners
India won many first-time medals this time round, with para-athletes Preethi Pal (Athletics), Dharambir Nain (Club Throw), and Kapil Parmar (Judo) becoming trailblazers in their respective events.
India had never won a medal in a track event before the Paris Paralympics until Pal sprinted to a bronze in the 100m T35 event. She even doubled her tally with another bronze in the 200m T35 event.
Nain won India’s first-ever Paralympic medal in Club Throw, with his massive throw of 34.92 metres breaking the Asian record as he clenched gold in the Men’s Club Throw F51 event.
Parmar, meanwhile became the first Indian judoka to win a medal at the Paralympics, winning a historic bronze in the Men’s 60kg J1 category. India had never won a judo medal before.
Also read: Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Partners and Supporters
Double podiums
India had several double podiums at the Paralympics this year.
Shooting: India achieved an incredible 1-3 double podium in the Women’s R2 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, with Avani Lekhara winning the gold medal and Mona Agarwal clinching the bronze.
Badminton: India achieved a 2-3 double podium at the Paralympics in the Women’s Singles SU5 category, with Thulasimathi Murugesan winning silver and Manisha Ramadass grabbing the bronze.
High Jump: Indian high jumpers also claimed a 2-3 double podium in the High Jump T6 Finals with Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won silver and bronze, respectively.
Javelin Throw: Another 2-3 double podium was achieved in the Men’s Javelin throw F46 event, with Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar claiming silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Club Throw: India achieved a historic 1-2 finish in Athletics in the Men’s Club Throw F51 event, with Dharambir Nain and Praveen Saroha winning gold and silver, respectively.
First-time champions
- Dharambir Nain became a first-time Paralympic champion in Club Throw with a massive throw of 34.92 metres, breaking the Asian record on his way to a gold medal in the Men’s Club Throw F51 event.
- Para-shuttler Nitesh Kumar became a first-time champion in Men’s Singles SL3 category with his gold, beating Tokyo silver-medallist Daniel Bethell in a gruelling 80-minute encounter in three sets 21-14, 18-21, 23-21.
- Para-archer Harvinder Singh became a first-time champion in Men’s Singles Recurve archery by beating Poland’s ?ukasz Ciszek 6-0 to take home the gold medal.
- Para-athlete Praveen Kumar became a first-time champion in the Men’s High Jump T64 event by claiming the gold with a jump of 2.08 metres. He had also won a silver medal at Tokyo 2020 in the same event.
- Javelin thrower Nishant Kumar became a first-time champion when he threw three meters above his PB to clinch gold in the F41 event, which was initially a silver but was later upgraded to gold due to disqualification of the Iranian gold medal thrower.
Other notable performances
- Indian para-athlete Deepti Jeevanji ran with all her might to grab a bronze in the women’s 400m T20 event.
- Para-sprinter Simran Sharma, along with her guide Abhay Singh, won a bronze in the women’s 200m T12 event.
- Indian para-shooter Rubina Francis won her first Paralympic medal, a bronze, in the 10m air pistol SH1 event.
- India’s 17-year-old para-archery sensation Sheetal Devi became the youngest Paralympic medal winner after grabbing bronze in the Mixed Compound Archery event alongside Rakesh Kumar.
- Age is just a number, proved on the other side of the scale this time by the 40-year-old army man Hokato Hotozhe Sema, who won bronze on his Paralympics debut in the Men’s Shot Put F57 event.
- Nishad Kumar showcased his consistency by winning another silver medal at Paris 2024, adding to his silver medal from Tokyo 2020 in the Men’s High Jump T47 event.
- Lastly, even though she did not win a medal, Indian para-athlete Bhavanaben Ajabaji Chaudhary finished fifth, improving upon her PB four times in the Women’s Javelin Throw F46 Final.
Final medals tally
| Position | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | China | 94 | 75 | 49 | 218 |
| 2 | Great Britain | 48 | 43 | 31 | 122 |
| 3 | United States | 36 | 41 | 26 | 103 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 26 | 17 | 12 | 55 |
| 18 | India | 7 | 9 | 13 | 29 |
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