Paralympics: All the medals won by India at Paris Paralympics so far

India has joined the Paris Paralympics 2024 with 84 para athletes, forwarding its record largest contingent at the Paralympic games so far. The 84 para athletes will compete across 12 disciplines, two more than the representation at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. The proceedings for the Paris Paralympics started with a blazing opening ceremony on August 28th. While India didn’t record any medal wins on the first day of the games, the contingent’s campaign took off on the second day.

Medals won by India at the Paris Paralympics by Day 3

Gold medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics, Avani Lekhara kicked off the medal haul as she defended her gold in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event. 3 days into the proceedings, India has accumulated 5 medals at the Paralympics so far. With 1 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals, India currently sits at the 20th place in the medal rankings.

Avani Lekhara - Gold medal

Avani Lekhara scripted history as she won the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event on Friday. The para shooter who successfully defended her gold medal won at the Tokyo Olympics became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics. The 22-year-old Indian shooter claimed the gold medal, outperforming Lee Yunri of the Republic of Korea, who earned silver with a score of 246.8, and Mona Agarwal, who finished with bronze after scoring 228.7. This marked India's first medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and was the first instance of India achieving a double podium finish in the same event at the Paralympic Games.

Avani has become the second Indian, following javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, to secure two gold medals at the Paralympic Games. This achievement brings India's total gold medal count to ten. Previously, Avani Lekhara had qualified in second place with a score of 625.8, while Mona secured fifth place with a total of 623.1. In the SH1 rifle shooting class, athletes are responsible for supporting the weight of their rifles themselves, and competitors typically have impairments in their legs, such as amputation or paraplegia. Avani Lekhara will compete in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 and the mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 events at the Paris 2024 Paralympics next.

Mona Agarwal - Bronze medal

India's success at the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event was enhanced by Mona Agarwal's impressive bronze medal win, adding to the country's medal count. Mona finished with a score of 228.7 and narrowly missed out on setting up an all-Indian showdown for gold, falling short to Yunri Lee. Mona had shown consistency throughout the round and briefly held the lead after 20 shots with a score of 208.1. However, her campaign took a hit after a 10.0 on her 22nd shot of the final, leading her to secure the bronze medal.

Preethi Pal - Bronze medal

Para athlete Preethi Pal scored India’s third medal at the Paris Paralympics by winning the bronze in the women’s 100m T35 race. Preethi Pal brought India its first-ever medal in para-athletics at the 2024 games. Pal achieved her personal best with a time of 14.21 seconds in the 100m race, securing third place. China dominated the podium with Zhou Xia winning gold with a time of 13.58 seconds and Guo Qianqian taking the silver medal with a time of 13.74 seconds. 

This medal by Preethi marked a historic achievement for India as it was the first time an Indian para-athlete earned a medal in a track event. While India has previously secured 17 medals in para athletics at the Paralympics, all of these have been in field events. Preethi has another opportunity to add to her medal tally when she competes in the women’s 200m T35 event later on September 1.

Manish Narwal - Silver medal

Manish Narwal secured a silver in the men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 final at the Paris Paralympics. Narwal, with a final score of 234.9, claimed second place at the Chateauroux Shooting Range, earning India its first silver medal of the Paralympic Games. Notably, this is Narwal's second consecutive Paralympic medal, building on his gold in the mixed P4 50-meter pistol SH1 event from the previous Games. The 22-year-old Khel Ratna recipient from India qualified for the Men’s SH1 final in fifth place. Overall, Narwal accumulated a score of 234.9, and despite his strong performance, he ultimately settled for the silver medal.

The 37-year-old para shooter Jeongdu Jo from South Korea edged past Narwal to claim the gold in the event. China’s Chao Yang finished with the bronze medal in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event. Previously, Narwal won the gold medal in the mixed SH1 50m pistol event at the 2020 Paralympics, making him eligible for India's highest sporting honor, the Khel Ratna. Narwal's silver medal win was India's third shooting medal of the day after Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal won the gold medal and bronze medal respectively in the women's 10m air rifle SH1 final event.

Rubina Francis - Bronze medal

Rubina Francis won the bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol SH1 category. Rubina’s medal has taken India’s tally to 5, with this bronze being India’s 4th medal in the para shooting event. The Indian shooter held third place with a total of 173.7 after scoring 9.2 and 10.1 in the fourth set of two shots during Stage 2 of the Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 Final. As the top four shooters competed in the final event, Rubina Francis advanced to second place with a total of 193.0 after delivering scores of 9.5 and 9.8 in the fifth set of two shots, securing India another medal. 

At 25, Rubina initially lagged behind the top shooters during the qualification round but made a strong finish to secure her place in the medal round. She amassed 556 points, placing seventh and progressing to the final. Previously, Rubina achieved seventh place in both the qualifying and final rounds at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.