The Summer Paralympics, now entering its 17th edition, will begin from 28 August to 8 September 2024. Paris, the capital of France, will host this prestigious event. A record 84 athletes from India will compete at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Representing the nation across 12 sports in the French capital, Indian para athletes will aim to surpass the 19 medals won by India at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

Here are some inspirational stories of India’s Paralympians who will complete for India at Paralympics 2024.

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

India at Paralympics 2024

1. Soman Rana

Paralympian Soman Rana suffered a mine blast injury and lost his right leg while serving with his unit on December 1, 2006. While most people would consider losing a limb to be the end of their sporting career, Rana, true to the spirit of the Indian Army, overcame his fears and continued his para-athletics training with tenacity. 

Rana, now 41, will complete for the seated shot put in the F-57 category at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

2. Kasthuri Rajamani

At 39, when many athletes reach the twilight of their careers, para powerlifter Kasthuri Rajamani of Tamil Nadu is showing unwavering commitment and resilience, which have enabled her to secure a berth at the Paralympics for the first time. Kasthuri (women’s 67kg) achieved qualification by finishing seventh in the ‘Road to Paris’ rankings.

After the end of the Tbilisi World Cup – the final qualifying competition where Kasthuri failed to register a valid lift – she was placed ninth in the Paris rankings, with only eight athletes making the final cut. Fortunately, she managed to qualify after a few players in her category shifted to other weight categories, helping her jump two spots.

3. Sarita Adhana

Sarita Adhana is an Indian paralympic archer. She qualified for the Summer Paralympics in Paris in the women's Individual compound event of Archery competitions. In 2023, she won a gold and bronze medals at the international championships.

Indian archers won six quota spots for the Paris Paralympics in addition to three new world records in the ranking rounds and medals. Sarita was part of all these records. Sarita not only broke the previous record for the women’s compound solo event with a score of 697, but she also worked alongside Kumar and Sheetal to beat the record for the mixed compound team event and the women’s compound team event.

4. Sharad Kumar

Hailing from Bihar, Para-High Jumper Sharad Kumar contracted polio at the tender age of two at a local eradication drive. While growing up he did not let his disability affect him by focussing on his studies before deciding to take up high jumping.

In 2019, Sharad secured a quota for the Tokyo Paralympics and won a Bronze medal in Tokyo Paralympics Games. Despite carrying an injury as well as dealing with incessant rain during the event, Sharad heroically leapt to a Paralympic bronze medal. He is also an Asian Para Games gold medalist.

Also Read: India At Paralympics 2024: Full fixture, schedule and streaming details

5. Arvind Malik

A discus thrower, Arvind Malik had to switch to shot put when a medical revision found that his physical disability didn’t have a category in the discus throw discipline. After moving to shot put, Malik represented India at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He finished seventh with a throw of 13.48m. 

Arvind had lost use of his left leg after he was hit on his head by a ball as a child leading to nerve damage. He will complete in F35 category at the Paris Paralympics.

6. Sandeep Chaudhary

Sandeep Chaudhary, the world record holder in men's javelin throw, injured his hip when he was 12. Though the damage wasn't serious, due to lack of medical facilities, he couldn't get immediate treatment which resulted in a permanent damage. Sandeep, the son of an army officer, aspired to join the Indian armed forces like his father but due to the unfortunate incident, he had to give up on his dream.

Ever since he was young, Sandeep tried his hand at multiple sports before deciding to pursue javelin throw as a professional sportsperson. He represented India at the 2018 Asian Para Games, where he won a gold medal and set a new world record of 60.01m. At World Para Athletics' 2021, Chaudhary won with a gold medal with 61.22m. At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships Chaudhary also won the gold medal with a world record throw of 66.18m.

7. Bhagyashree Madhavrao Jadhav

Hailing from Mahrashtra, Bhagyashree Jadhav has been a consistent performer on the international stage. She won a silver medal in the shot put F34 category at the 2022 Asian Para Games and finished seventh at the Tokyo Paralympics. Jadhav’s journey in sports began in 2017, and she quickly made her mark with medals at various international events, including the Feja World Cup and World Para Athletics Games.

Bhagyashree will be India's flagbearers along with Sumit Antil for the Paris Paralympics 2024, leading the nation’s contingent of 84 athletes.

8. Sakshi Kasana

Sakshi Kasana is one of India's emerging para-athletes in the javelin throw event. Kasana was born with a congenital deformity in her right leg, which affected her growth and mobility. She faced discrimination and bullying from her peers and society. She found solace in sports, especially in athletics. She joined the Sports Authority of India centre in Ghaziabad and trained under coach Amit Kumar. 

Kasana won a bronze medal in the women's javelin throw F64 event at the Asian Para Games 2023. She threw a distance of 24.77m. She also qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, where she finished ninth. Kasana will compete in F55 category in Paris.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: How many medals has India won so far?

9. Karamjyoti Dalal

Karamjyoti Dalal is one of India's most consistent para-athletes in the discus throw event. Dalal was an able-bodied athlete who represented Haryana at the national level in judo and kabaddi. However, she suffered a spinal injury after falling from a terrace in 2008, which left her with limited mobility in her lower limbs. She went into depression and contemplated suicide. She was encouraged by her family and friends to take up para-athletics as a way of coping with her condition.

The 36-year-old discus thrower from Rohtak bagged a silver medal in the women's discus throw F55/56/57 event at the Asian Para Games 2023. She threw a distance of 19.61m. She also won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London.

A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?

If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.

India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown. 

Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?

"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League

India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.

Felicitations came from their respective state governments. BCCI provided a huge lump of prize money to the players and the support staff.

But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?

This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.

Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.

The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.

The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes

At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.

The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.

Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).

Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem

The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.

Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.

Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.

PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

BCCI's baby steps for Olympians

Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.

Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.

Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.

The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:

• 45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
• Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
• Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
• State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.

Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration

When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.

Mahi's influence

Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.

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The Kohli aggression

One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream. 

But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.

The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.

But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.

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The Wall looks upon The Wall

Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.

"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.

Read also: Hockey India decides to retire jersey No. 16 in honor of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

Cricket is another sport

The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?

How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior? 

How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?

How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?

It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced a total cash award of Rs 50 lakh for the country's para-badminton players who won medals in the Paris Paralympics 2024 last month.

Indian para-badminton players had won a total of five medals including one gold, two silver, and two bronze at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: Medals by every edition

Para shuttlers to receive cash rewards

Nitesh Kumar, who won gold in the men's singles SL3 category, will get a prize of Rs 15 lakh. Silver medalists Suhas Yathiraj (men's singles SL4) and Thulasimathi Murugesan (women's singles SU5) will be given Rs 10 lakh each.

Bronze medal winners Manisha Ramadass (women's singles SU5) and Nithya Sre Sivan (women's singles SH6 category) will get Rs 7 lakh 50 thousand each. Thulasimathi, Manisha and Nithya created history by becoming the first Indian female badminton players to win a medal in the Paralympics.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: How many medals has India won so far?

 'Rewards were a way to acknowledge the shuttlers'

BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra said, “Indian Para badminton players have been performing consistently on the world stage and the cash rewards are just one way for BAI to recognise their efforts in helping the country win medals at the Paralympics.” 

“BAI is committed to developing and promoting para-badminton across the country and helping these players achieve much more success and many more initiatives to develop para-badminton are being undertaken,” He added.

Also Read: PV Sindhu set to begin BWF campaign through Arctic Open

In view of the players' busy tournament schedule, BAI will also organize a virtual interaction session with these players to congratulate them and understand their requirements for continued development.

After the Paris Olympics 2024, players have once again started gathering in Paris for the Paralympic Games. The Paris Paralympics 2024 has been inaugurated on Wednesday in the capital of France. This time 84 Indian athletes are participating in the Games running from August 28 to September 9. This is India's largest contingent in these Games so far. India will participate in 12 events this time. It's time we look at India's Paris Paralympics 2024 Day 11 (September 8) schedule.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: Medals by every edition

Indian competitors have surpassed their previous record of 19 medals from the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 as they have already brought 27 medals to India including 6 Golds. 

So, let us tell you in detail which sports Indian para-athletes will be seen in action on Day 11.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: How many medals has India won so far?

India at Paralympics 2024: Day 11 (September 8) Schedule

Para-Canoe

• Women's Kayak Single 200m KL1 Semifinals - Pooja Ojha - 1:30 PM
• Women's Kayak Single 200m KL1 Final A - Pooja Ojha - 2:55 PM

Catch all the LIVE actions of India at Paralympics 2024 Day 10 (September 7) as Indian Para-Athletes continue their historical campaign in Paris. 

India till now have surapssed their best Paralympic record ever with 27 medals including a record 6 Gold medals at Paralympics 2024. On Day 9, Praveen Kumar won India's 6th gold as India registerted their best-ever performance surpassing Tokyo's 5 Golds.

Read Also | India at Paralympics: Medals by every edition 

India's performane till now

What to expect on Day 10?

With Suyash Jadhav competing in the Men's 50m Butterfly S7, Navdeep in Men's Javeling Throw  F41 Final and other athletes competing in Cycling and Canoe, India can hope for at least one or two medals and can get close to that 30-medal mark today.

Read Also | India at Paralympics 2024: Day 10 (September 7) Schedule

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After the Paris Olympics 2024, players have once again started gathering in Paris for the Paralympic Games. The Paris Paralympics 2024 has been inaugurated on Wednesday in the capital of France. This time 84 Indian athletes are participating in the Games running from August 28 to September 9. This is India's largest contingent in these Games so far. India will participate in 12 events this time. It's time we look at India's Paris Paralympics 2024 Day 10 (September 7) schedule.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: Medals by every edition

This time Indian athletes will compete for the first time in Para-cycling, Para-judo, and Para-rowing in the Paralympic Games. They will also try their best in Para-Archery, Para-Cycling, Para-Taekwondo, Para Swimming, and Para Table Tennis events. 

Indian competitors have surpassed their previous record of 19 medals from the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 as they have already brought 26 medals to India including 6 Golds. 

So, let us tell you in detail which sports Indian para-athletes will be seen in action on Day 10.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: How many medals has India won so far?

India at Paralympics 2024: Day 10 (September 7) Schedule

Para-Cycling Road

• Men's C1-3 Road Race - Arshad Shaik - 1:00 PM
• Women's C1-3 Road Race - Jyoti Gaderiya - 1:05 PM

Para-Swimming

• Men's 50m Butterfly S7 Heats - Suyash Jadhav - 1:55 PM
• Men’s 50m Butterfly S7 Finals - Suyash Jadhav - 9:00 PM

Para-Canoe

• Men's Kayak Single 200m KL1 Semifinals - Yash Kumar - 1:30 PM
• Women's Va'a Single 200m VL2 Semifinals - Prachi Yadav - 1:58 PM
• Women’s Va’a Single VL2 Final B - Prachi Yadav - 3:14 PM
• Women’s Va’a Single VL2 Final A - Prachi Yadav - 3:22 PM

Para-Athletics

• Men’s Javelin Throw F41 Final - Navdeep - 10:30 PM 
• Women’s 200m T12 Final - Subject to Qualification - 11:03 PM
• Men’s 400m T47 Round 1 - Subject to Qualification - 12:29 AM