India at Paralympics 2024: Indian Para Athletes to watch out for

Indian para-athletes are set to represent the nation at the 2024 Paralympic Games, set to take place from August 28 to September 8. A total of 84 athletes from India will be competing in the Paralympic games. India had their best campaign in the Paralympics in 2021, where they won 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals. Now, the Indian para-athletes will be looking to upgrade their performance in the upcoming Paralympic games in Paris. 

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India at Paralympics 2024: Key Indian Athletes to watch

Avani Lekhara

Para-shooter Avani Lekhara will be among the top medal containers for India in the 2024 Paralympics games. She won two medals in Tokyo including a gold in the 10m air rifle SH1 and a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1. Avani also won two gold and one silver in the 2022 Para Shooting World Cup and won gold in the 2022 Para Asian Games. She has been consistent and the Indian fans will be hoping her to drop some brilliant performances and win medals for India in Paris 2024.

Manashi Joshi

Manasi Joshi is set to make her debut in the Paralympics this year. She won a gold medal in the 2019 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships. She has two silver and four medals to her name in the World Championship. Manasi also won one silver and a bronze in the 2022 Para Asian Games and will be trying her best to win a medal for India in her first appearance in the Paralympic Games.

Harvinder Singh

Harvinder Singh, the para-archer who won the bronze medal in the Individual recurve open category in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics will be representing India in the Summer Paralympics 2024 in Paris. He also won a bronze in the 2022 Para Asian Games. Harvinder will be looking to add another medal to his list in the upcoming Paralympic games, starting from 28th August.

Sheetal Devi

The 17-year-old Indian para archer Sheetal Devi will be making her Paralympics debut in Paris 2024. She was born with a rare medical condition called phocomelia due to which she plays archery using her legs. Despite this, she has won two gold and one silver in the 2022 Para Asian Games. She would like to have a dream debut in the upcoming Paralympics in Paris. 

Sumit Patel

Para-javelin thrower Sumit Patel will be one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming Paralympics Games. He won the gold medal in the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He added more gold to his bag during the Para Athletics World Championship in 2023 and 2024. He also won gold in the 2023 Para Asian Games in Hangzhou where he had his career-best throw of 73.29 meters. Sumit has been very consistent for India and hasn't won anything less than a gold. There will be high hopes for him.

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India's Paralympic Journey

The Paralympic Games started in 1960. India sent an Indian contingent for the first time in 1968. The Paralympic journey started for India long after the Summer Olympics. The country has won 31 medals so far in the Paralympics, including 9 gold, 12 silver, and 10 bronze medals in 11 editions.

Murlikant Petkar, the hero of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, is India's first Paralympic medal winner. Murlikant Petkar won the gold medal in swimming in the Men's 50m Freestyle 3 event at the 1972 Heidelberg Games. Petkar, a soldier of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army, was a boxer. He became paralyzed after being shot during the India-Pakistan war of 1965. After this, he started swimming and brought the gold medal to India.

India's best campaign was the 2019 Paralympics. 54 athletes participated in the Tokyo Paralympics and won a maximum of 19 medals which included 5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze medals. India finished 24th in the overall medal tally at Tokyo across 162 nations.

Impact of the 2024 Paralympics on Indian Sports

The 2024 Paralympics in Paris will have a significant impact on Indian sports if the athletes achieve the success we are expecting from them. The success of Indian athletes at the Paralympics can raise the number of para-sports in India. Media will highlight the athletes with disabilities, and promote their skills and dedication.

The Indian para-athletes have and will inspire the younger generations to choose para-sports as a profession if they are struggling with disabilities. India have a larger pool of talent and there's no doubt that the nation will grow not as an individual but as a team.

Success on the international stage will increase the investment in sports infrastructure and support systems. This will help make new advanced training facilities and improved resources for para-athletes in India.