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Yuvaraja Karunakaran

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India Paralympics team targets medal count rise as the 2024 Paralympic Games starts

India Paralympics team targets medal count rise as the 2024 Paralympic Games starts

India Paralympics team targets medal count rise as the 2024 Paralympic Games starts

The 2024 Paralympic Games gets underway with the opening ceremony in Paris on August 28. The hopes are high as the largest-ever India Paralympics contingent will be looking to increase the medal count. After a below-par performance in the 2024 Olympics campaign for India in Paris, hopes to revive as Paris Paralympics 2024 commences on Wednesday, August 28. The Indian Olympic contingent managed to bag only six medals, five bronze and one silver medal. India's journey at the Paris Paralympics 2024 is set to begin on August 28 and will run through September 9. In this blog piece,  we take a look at Indian para-athletes' chances in the 2024 Paralympic Games.

India Paralympics team targets medal count rise as the 2024 Paralympic Games starts

1. PCI President Devendra Jhajharia wants India to soak in the vibrant spirit of Paris

The 2024 Paralympic Games will run from August 28 to September 8. With the opening ceremony scheduled for later today at 11:30 pm IST, the India Paralympics contingent is all set for the Paris Paralympics 2024. The Indian Paralympics team has sent its largest-ever Paralympics contingent of 84 athletes. India will also aim to build on a successful 2020 Tokyo Paralympics run where the India Paralympics team won more medals alone than they did in all the previous editions combined.

India won 19 medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics whereas they had won a total of 12 medals between the Paralympic Games debut at Tel Aviv in 1968 and the Rio Paralympics 2016. The focus now shifts to the India Paralympics contingent for the Paris Paralympics 2024. Double Paralympic medalist and the president of the Paralympic Committee of India Devendra Jhajharia had a number in mind when he spoke about India’s medal count in a video message after the contingent reached the Games village.

"Our 84-member team has come here with great enthusiasm. As the president of the Paralympic Committee, I want to tell you that we are going to create history in this tournament. We will win more medals than we ever have in the history of the Paralympics. When we repeatedly say that we will win more than 25 medals and that we will be in the medal tally of the top 20 countries, it is because our preparation is excellent, whether it be athletics, badminton or archery," Devendra Jhajharia said.

2. Sumit Antil to lead the India Paralympics contingent in Paralympics opening ceremony

The India Paralympics contingent is a perfect combination of seasoned champions and promising debutants. The Paralympics has seen individual athletes take up the role to bring glory to the country. India prepares to put on their best-ever performance in the Paris Paralympics 2024 with its largest-ever Paralympics contingent. All eyes will be on these athletes as they look to etch their names into the India Paralympics history. India's javelin thrower Sumit Antil who has been selected as one of the flag-bearers for India in the Paris Paralympics 2024, was among India's five gold medallists in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and he will be looking to defend his javelin throw title in Paris. Another gold medal in the 2024 Paralympic Games will make him only the second Indian to win 2 gold medals in javelin throw at the Paralympics.

3. Young guns Avani Lekhara and Sheetal Devi are all set to bring glory to India

22-year-old Avani Lekhara will be setting her sights on consecutive Paralympic gold medals at the Paris Paralympics 2024 which will make her the first Indian para-shooter to achieve the feat. Avani Lekhara won a historic gold medal in her debut Paralympics campaign, shooting a new Paralympic record score of 249.6 in the women's 10m air rifle shooting standing SH1 final in Tokyo. It made Avani Lekhara the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal. Lekhara will even be dreaming of winning two gold medals in the same Paralympics which will cement her status as one of the greatest Indian athletes of all time.

On the flip side, star Indian para-archer Sheetal Devi is a strong favourite to become the first Indian female to win an archery medal at the Paralympics. Sheetal Devi was born in 2007 with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder leading to underdeveloped limbs. The condition resulted in her arms not fully forming. Fast forward at the age of 17, Sheetal is confident of bagging the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Her consistent performances on the global stage make her a top para-athlete to watch out for in the India Paralympics team.

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