Reaching the Paralympic podium is a demanding journey that requires years of dedication, relentless effort, and often multiple attempts.
Yet, against the odds, some athletes exceeded expectations and secured medals in their debut Paralympic Games.
Let’s take a look at the Indian para-athletes who competed in the Paralympics for the first time and returned as proud medallists:
1. Nitesh Kumar- Gold, Men’s Singles SL3
Nitesh Kumar clinched his maiden gold medal at the Paralympics in the men’s singles SL3 badminton category, previously won by Pramod Bhagat in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
He defeated Daniel Bethell of Great Britain, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, in a thrilling 80-minute match with scores of 21-14, 18-21, 23-21.
Notably, this was Nitesh’s first victory over Bethell in ten encounters, marking India’s second consecutive gold in the SL3 class.
2. Thulasimathi Murugesan- Silver, Women’s Singles SU5
Competing in the women’s singles SU5 badminton category, top seed and Asian Para Games champion Thulasimathi Murugesan secured a silver medal after losing 21-17, 21-10 to defending champion Yang Qiuxia of China.
3. Sachin Sarjerao Khilari- Silver, Men’s Shot Put F46
Sachin Khilari won silver in the men’s shot put F46 event, setting an Asian record with a throw of 16.32m on his second attempt.
Despite being a two-time world champion, Sachin narrowly missed gold, finishing behind defending champion Greg Stewart of Canada.
4. Pranav Soorma- Silver, Men’s Club throw 51
Pranav Soorma added a silver to India’s tally in the men’s club throw 51 class with a throw of 34.59m.
Taken down by life at the age of 16, when a cement shell fell on his head, the 29-year-old from Faridabad was left with a spinal cord injury but para sports while he while studying came as a new sunshine from within the dark clouds. 👏☀️💥
Today Pranav Soorma, stands as the… pic.twitter.com/13M8oGJalG
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) September 5, 2024
Alongside Dharambir, who won gold, Pranav’s performance marked India’s first-ever one-two finish in athletics at the Paralympic Games.
5. Mona Agarwal- Bronze, Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1
Mona Agarwal earned a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event with a final score of 228.7.
Mona’s achievement, along with Avani Lekhara’s gold, made it India’s first double podium finish in the event at the Paralympic Games.
6. Preethi Pal- Bronze, Women’s 100m & 200m T35
Preethi Pal made history as the first Indian woman to win two medals in athletics at the Paralympics.
She secured bronze in the women’s 100m T35 with a personal best time of 14.21s, which was India’s first-ever medal in a track event at the Paralympic Games, and another bronze in the 200m T35, clocking 30.01s.
7. Manisha Ramadass- Bronze, Women’s Singles SU5
Second-seeded Manisha Ramadass defeated Denmark’s Cathrine Rosengren 21-12, 21-8 to claim bronze in the women’s singles SU5 badminton event.
Her win marked the first medal for an Indian woman in badminton at the Paralympics.
8. Sheetal Devi- Bronze, Mixed Team Compound Open archery
At just 17, Sheetal Devi teamed up with Rakesh Kumar to win bronze in the mixed team compound open archery, narrowly beating Italy’s Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina 156-155.
Sheetal’s achievement made her India’s youngest Paralympic medallist.
9. Nithya Sre Sivan- Bronze, Women’s Singles SH6
Nithya Sre Sivan, the top seed, won bronze in the newly introduced women’s singles SH6 badminton event, defeating Indonesia’s Rina Marlina 21-14, 21-6 in the match.
10. Deepthi Jeevanji- Bronze, Women’s 400m T20
World champion Deepthi Jeevanji became the first intellectually impaired Indian athlete to win a Paralympic medal.
She secured bronze in the women’s 400m T20 category with a time of 55.82 seconds.
11. Kapil Parmar- Bronze, Men’s 60kg J1 Judo
Kapil Parmar made history by winning India’s first-ever Paralympic medal in para-judo.
Competing in the men’s 60kg J1 category, Kapil defeated Brazil’s Elielton Oliveira 10-0 with an impressive ippon in just 33 seconds.
12. Hokato Hotozhe Sema- Bronze, Men’s Shot Put F57
Hokato Hotozhe Sema secured bronze in the men’s shot put F57 event with a personal best throw of 14.65m.
This achievement marked the first Paralympic medal for an athlete from India’s north-east region.