Indian Para-Athletes Shine in Paris: Preethi Pal & Nishad Kumar Lead the Charge

Preethi Pal made history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win two medals at the Paralympics. Meanwhile, Nishad Kumar secured his second consecutive silver in the men's high jump T47 category at the Paris Games.

Preethi, 23, bagged her second bronze in the 200m T35 category with a personal best time of 30.01 seconds, following her bronze in the 100m T35 category on Friday. She is only the second Indian woman to win two medals in a single Paralympics, after Avani Lekhara’s gold and bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

In the women's 200m T35 final, China's Zhou Xia won gold with 28.15 seconds, while Guo Qianqian took silver with 29.09 seconds. The T35 classification is for athletes with coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia, and athetosis.

Nishad, 24, cleared 2.04 meters to win India’s third para-athletics medal at the Paris Games and seventh overall. He faced stiff competition from world record holder Townsend Roderick of the USA, who won gold with a jump of 2.12 meters. Margiev Georgii of the Neutral Paralympic Athlete team secured bronze with a jump of 2 meters. Another Indian competitor, Ram Pal, finished seventh with a personal best of 1.95 meters. The T47 category includes athletes with below elbow or wrist amputations or impairments.

Preethi, a farmer’s daughter from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, made her Paralympic debut this year, overcoming physical challenges from birth, including weak legs and irregular posture. Her journey to success began after she was inspired by Paralympic athlete Fatima Khatoon, eventually leading to her breakthrough at the Paris Games.

Nishad’s journey in sports started after a grass-cutting machine accident caused him to lose his right hand at the age of six. He was inspired by his mother, a state-level volleyball player, and has since excelled in athletics, winning gold at the Asian Para Games and securing silver at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championship.

India also saw mixed results in other events. Ravi Rongali finished fifth in the men's F40 shot put final with a personal best of 10.63 meters, while world record holder Miguel Montero of Portugal took gold with a throw of 11.21 meters.

In badminton, Suhas Yathiraj reached his second consecutive Paralympic final in the men's singles SL4 event, defeating teammate Sukant Kadam in straight games. Nitesh Kumar also guaranteed India a medal by winning his SL3 semifinal match against Japan's Daisuke Fujihara. In the all-Indian women's singles SU5 semifinal, Thulasimathi Murugesan defeated Manisha Ramadass to secure a silver medal for India. However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were knocked out of their respective categories after tough quarterfinal losses.

India faced disappointment in the shooting events, as Avani Lekhara, fresh from her gold medal win, failed to qualify for the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH1) finals, finishing 11th in the qualification round. Sidhartha Babu also missed the mark, finishing 28th.

Despite the setbacks, India’s impressive performance in para-athletics and badminton at the Paris Paralympics marks another significant milestone for the country’s para-sports community.

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