PM Modi Hosts Indian Paralympians At His Residence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Indian contingent from the 2024 Paris Paralympics at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, on Thursday. The event also featured Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse, and Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Devendra Jhajharia.

During the meeting, PM Modi interacted with the athletes who represented India in the recently concluded event. Paralympic gold medallist Avani Lekhara presented the Prime Minister with a signed Indian jersey as a gesture of appreciation.

The Indian contingent concluded its campaign in Paris with a historic record haul of 29 medals—comprising seven golds, nine silvers, and thirteen bronzes. This tally is the highest ever achieved by India in Paralympic history, surpassing the previous record of 19 medals from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. India finished the event in 18th position overall.

Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to secure two Paralympic gold medals, successfully defending her title in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event with a world record score of 249.7 points.

India celebrated a historic one-two finish in para-athletics, with Dharambir and Parnav Soorma winning gold and silver, respectively, in the men’s club throw F51 event. Dharambir also set an Asian record with a throw of 34.92 m. In the T64 high jump.

Praveen Kumar claimed gold with an Asian record-breaking jump of 2.08 m, contributing to the total of seven gold medals for India. Harvinder Singh became the first-ever archery champion for India in both the Olympics and Paralympics, winning gold in the individual recurve para-archery event against Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek.

Sumit Antil, a javelin throw ace, made history by becoming the first Indian male to defend his Paralympics title, securing back-to-back golds in the F64 event with a stunning throw of 70.59 m, breaking his own record set during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics multiple times.

This meeting and the athletes’ achievements reflect the growing recognition and support for para-sports in India, marking a significant milestone in the country’s sporting history.