Thanks to a host of firsts and proven performers, India is delivering a great performance

Paris: India’s para-athletes, who are disabled but exceptionally determined, look back on their Paralympic season with pride. Most of the established names lived up to expectations, while many talented newbies took to the big stage with a record 29 medals.

Seven of those 29 medals are gold, a first for the country that only made its presence felt in the 2016 edition, when it won four medals. The upswing in performance thereafter was meteoric, with Tokyo netting 19, a number it surpassed this time around.

And let’s not forget that many of the medal-winning performances here were the result of record attempts and personal bests, showing that the athletes have made great strides in terms of their confidence.

With 29 medals in five sports, including no fewer than 17 in athletics, the country finished in the top 20 of this mega-event, which was again dominated by China with more than 200 medals.

India is still a long way from being an Olympic powerhouse, but the country has certainly emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the disability competition.

The government did its best with increased spending on training, recovery and support staff. The sports ministry had 59 para-athletes in its Target Olympic Podium Scheme squad, 50 of whom qualified for Paris.

Unexpected medals in track and judo ======================== The contingent of 84 athletes marked a number of firsts for India in Paralympic history, including medals in the track events, with sprinter Preethi Pal winning bronze in the women’s 100m T35 and 200m T35.

The T35 classification is for athletes with coordination disorders such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis. Preethi was born with weak legs and it got worse as she got older.

Another first-ever medal came from Kapil Parmar in Judo. He made India proud by bagging a bronze in the men’s 60kg J1 class.

His was another story of remarkable determination as the 24-year-old pulled himself up from a life-changing accident in his youth when he was electrocuted while playing in the fields of his village. Kapil was later forced to sell tea to make ends meet, but he turned the tide and how.

Archery, club throw propel India to medals ==================================== Players like Harvinder Singh and Dharambir propelled India significantly higher up the medal table by winning groundbreaking gold medals in archery and club throw respectively.

Born without arms, armless archer Sheetal Devi was already a beacon of hope for millions. But with her bronze medal in the mixed team, the 17-year-old gave her community another reason to never give up.

It is no wonder that she became a crowd pleaser in Paris, as she astonished everyone by using her legs instead of her arms to hit the bullseye.

The crowd was hugely disappointed when she narrowly lost her singles match by an eighth elimination point.

A few days later, Harvinder held his nerve under great pressure and won India’s first ever gold in archery, also changing the colour of his medal from the Tokyo edition where he won bronze.

In the club race, Dharambir and Pranav Soorma finished on the podium in the F51 class, a rare victory for India.

A tragic diving accident left Dharambir paralysed from the waist down, but the Sonepat resident received much-needed support from his para-athlete partner Amit Kumar Saroha, who guided him through his darkest days.

Sumit Antil, Avani Lekhara defend titles ============================== While many firsts were recorded, some Indian athletes including javelin thrower Sumit Antil and shooter Avani Lekhara had high expectations to live up to, having won gold in Tokyo.

Sumit, whose left leg was amputated after an accident, broke his own Paralympic record by winning a second consecutive gold in the javelin throw, while wheelchair-bound rifle shooter Lekhara dominated the field in the SH1 air rifle final.

The badminton court was also a gold medal as Kumar Nitesh defeated Britain’s Daniel Bethell in a thrilling final. Nitesh also lost his leg in a train accident. He took up badminton while pursuing his degree from IIT-Mandi.

India can aim for a top 10 finish in the future if it can also create a pool of para swimmers. Only one swimmer represented the country in Paris.

The Chinese leader won a whopping 54 medals in swimming, including 20 gold. PTI BS PM PM PM