A record number of 84 Para athletes are representing India at the ongoing Paralympics 2024 in Paris takes place from August 28th to September 8th in the French capital.

India will participate in 12 disciplines at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, three more than in Tokyo 2020.

Indian para-athletes will participate in three new sports at Paris 2024: para-cycling, para-rowing and blind judo.

India has so far shown impressive performances at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at a Paralympic Games. She defended her title in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 with a world record score. Mona Agarwal won bronze, making it the first time that India has finished on the podium twice in a single event at a Paralympic Games.

India recorded its first ever double victory in athletics with Dharambir and Parnav Soorma winning gold and silver respectively in the men’s club throw F51. Dharambir also set a new Asian record of 34.92m. Later, Praveen Kumar also set an Asian record by winning the high jump T64 title and clinching India’s sixth gold, the highest ever at the Paralympics.

Meanwhile, armless archer Sheetal Devi briefly set a world record in the rankings before finishing in second place. She later teamed up with Rakesh Kumar to set a world record in the compound mixed team qualification round. At just 17 years of age, Sheetal made history as India’s youngest Paralympic medallist, securing bronze alongside Rakesh in the mixed team event.

In archery, India had its first Paralympic champion, Harvinder Singh.

Javelin ace Sumit Antil also made history by becoming the first Indian to defend his Paralympics title. He won gold in the Men’s F64 Javelin with a stunning throw of 70.59 metres – a new Paralympic record. Remarkably, Sumit broke his own previous record, set at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, not once but three times during the competition.

With a bronze medal in the T42 high jump category, Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first Indian to win medals at three consecutive Paralympics. He won the gold medal in Rio 2016 and the silver medal in Tokyo 2020.

Preethi Pal secured a bronze medal in the women’s 100m T35 with a personal best time. It was India’s first medal in a running event at the Paralympics. She later won a bronze medal in the T35 200m as well.

Deepthi Jeevanji also made history at Paris 2024 by becoming the first mentally disabled Indian athlete to win a Paralympic medal: a bronze medal in the women’s 400m T20 class.

India has so far won 29 medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics – seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze.

In terms of medal haul, the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be India’s most successful Games in the country’s history, surpassing the 19 medal haul at Tokyo 2020. However, the five gold medals at Tokyo 2020 remain India’s best performance.

Paralympics 2024 in Paris: India’s medal winners