India achieved its highest-ever medal tally at the Paralympics after securing 5 medals on Day 6 of the Paris Paralympics on Tuesday. The country’s medal count stands at 20, which includes 3 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze medals.
On Day 6 of the Paris Paralympics, Deepthi Jeevanji clinched India’s inaugural medal in the Women’s 400m T20 race, securing a bronze medal. She finished the race in a time of 55.82 seconds. Yuliia Shuliar of Ukraine claimed the gold medal with a time of 55.16 seconds, while Aysel Onder of Turkey bagged the silver with a time of 55.23 seconds.
Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu clinched the silver and bronze medals respectively, in the men’s High Jump T63 event. Sharad Kumar cleared height of 1.88m during the final. He finished in the second position, behind Ezra Frech of the USA, who set a new Paralympics record by clearing 1.94m. This was Sharad Kumar’s second Paralympics medal; he had previously secured the bronze medal in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Mariyappan Thangavelu took the bronze medal after clearing 1.85m in the Men’s High Jump T63 event. This accomplishment made him the first Indian para-athlete to secure medals in three consecutive Games, having won gold at Rio in 2016 and silver at Tokyo in 2020. Shailesh Kumar finished in 4th position after jumping to the same height of 1.85m.
Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar claimed the silver and bronze medals in the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event. Ajeet achieved a best throw of 65.62m, while Sundar hurled a distance of 64.96m, which marked both their personal and season bests. Guillermo Varona Gonzalez of Cuba won the gold with a throw of 66.14m. Rinku, the third Indian competitor, ended the competition in fifth place with a throw of 61.58m.
Sundar Singh Gurjar’s medal win in the Paris Paralympics marks his second medal at the Games, having previously secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
In shooting, Avani Lekhara finished 5th in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 event. The gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle event was placed 5th in the final of the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 with a score of 420.6. Lekhara had qualified for the final by scoring 1159 in the qualification round, placing 7th.
As of now, India’s medal tally in the Paris Paralympics stands at 20, comprising 3 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze medals. The country is currently in 17th place on the medal table, representing their best-ever medal count in the Paralympic Games. This surpasses previous record of 19 medals won at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, which included 5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze medals.