A record-breaking Paralympic Games came to an end for India on Sunday, and what a memorable 10 days it was. Beginning with Avani Lekhara’s gold medal on the shooting range and ending with Navdeep’s javelin gold, everything in between was historic too, as India’s para-athletes scripted the country’s greatest Paralympics campaign ever.
India enjoyed its best-ever outing in the history of the event, claiming seven gold medals, nine silver medals and 13 bronze medals. However, despite the all-time best finish, India fell inches short of finishing in the top 15 on the medal standings.
India finished in the top 20 of the medals tally, and barely just missed out on the top 15. India were one gold away from 15th, while Spain is above India with just two more silver medals.
There were various firsts in the Paralympics for India. Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar in the mixed team event won India’s first Paralympic medal in recurve archery. Kapil Parmar was the first Indian Paralympic medallist in judo, Harvinder Singh won the country’s first gold in para archery as well.
Also, Hokato Hotozhe Sema, on debut at this stage, became the first Paralympian from Nagaland, while also becoming the first medallist from his state, in the men’s shot put F57.
Avani Lekhara (gold in women’s 10m Air Rifle SH1) and Mariyappan Thangavelu (bronze in men’s high jump T63) won the third Paralympics medals of their respective careers, as many as any other Indian in history. Only Joginder Singh Bedi and Devendra Jhajharia had won three medals before Paris.
For Navdeep to even be in contention for a gold medal, he needed to considerably better his personal best in the men’s javelin F41 final. He did just that, by flinging the javelin 3.05m further than he ever has. Talk about bringing your best to the biggest stage. Eventually, he stood on the top step of the podium, with a little bit of help from his Iranian rival’s disqualification.