After a high with four medals on the second day, Indian fans witnessed heartbreak on the third day with two biggest medal prospects getting knocked out in four hours.
2020 Tokyo Paralympic gold medalist shuttler Krishna Nagar lost in the group stage of SH6 while much fancied archer Sheetal Devi lost in the round of 16 of the women’s compound event.
However, India had plenty of positives also on the third day.
Shuttlers Mandeep Kaur and Nitesh Kumar clinched their spots in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, bolstering India’s medal hopes.
In shooting, Rubina Francis made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in pistol shooting at the Paralympics.
Here is how the third day of the 2024 Paralympic Games unfolded for the Indian para athletes:
Para-Badminton:
Mandeep Kaur advanced to the quarterfinals with a victory over Australia’s Vinot Celine Aurelie.
Nitesh Kumar secured his place in the semi-finals of the Men’s Singles SL3 category by defeating Bunsun K in straight games, 21-13, 21-14.
– Manoj Sarkar won against China’s Jianyuan Yang with scores of 21-15, 21-11, but finished third in his group and did not qualify for the knockout stage.
Sukant Kadam defeated Thailand’s Siripong with identical scores of 21-12 in both games, ensuring India at least a bronze in the Men’s Singles SL3. Suhas Yathiraj also reached the semi-finals in this category.
Tarun Dhillon was eliminated after the group stage following a loss to France’s Lucas Mazur with scores of 7-21, 16-21.
Manisha Ramdass progressed to the quarterfinals despite losing to China’s Qiu Xia Yang in straight games (21-15, 21-7), finishing second in her group.
Para Shooting:
Swaroop Mahavir Unhalkar finished 15th out of 18 in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Qualification and did not advance to the finals.
Rubina Francis made history by winning the bronze medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1, becoming the first Indian woman to medal in pistol shooting at the Paralympics.
Para Rowing:
The Indian duo of Anita and Narayana secured a third-place finish in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls with a time of 7:54.33. They will advance to Final B to compete for positions 7 to 11.
Para Cycling:
Jyoti Gaderiya finished last in the Women’s C1-3 500m category with a time of 49.233, missing out on the finals.
Arshad Shaik recorded a time of 1:21.416 in the Men’s C1-3 1000m event, placing 17th and failing to advance to the finals.
Para Archery:
Sarita Adhana became the first Indian woman to qualify for the quarter-finals in para-archery by winning her Round of 16 match against Italy’s Sarti Eleonora with a score of 141-135. However, she lost to the top seed Turkey’s Onzur Cure Girdi.
Sheetal Devi lost in the round of 16 to Tokyo Paralympics medalist Mariana Zuniga.