Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nishad Kumar on Monday, for winning the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event at the Paris Paralympics; the latter’s achievement is the big highlight of the games unfolding.
His contribution came in the final of the men’s high jump T47, where he sealed the silver medal with a season-best leap of 2.04m. Essentially, it was an improvement upon the previous one since Nishad had won a similar silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago. Sure enough, here he was, again consistent and skillful in equal measure on the international stage.
PM Modi praised Nishad Kumar’s feat through his official X handle. He termed the feat of Nishad as a “remarkable achievement” and underlined the role of passion and determination. “Congrats to @nishad_hj for his remarkable achievement in winning a Silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T47 event at the #Paralympics2024! He has shown us all that with passion and determination, everything is possible. India is elated, “ Modi wrote.
Besides Nishad Kumar historic win, India was in full swing at the Paralympics in Paris. India has so far clinched seven medals, including one gold and two silvers, and four bronze medals.
Preeti Pal won a bronze medal in the 200m T-35 race on Sunday. It was historic because Preeti became the first woman Indian athlete to clinch two medals in track. And field events at either the Paralympics or the Olympics. Her performance underlined the burgeoning strength of Indian athletes on the world stage.
Rubina added another medal when she won the bronze in the P2-Women’s 10M Air Pistol SH-1 final on Saturday. She combined 211.1 points in the final. Iranian shooter Javanmardi Sareh won gold with 236.8 points, while Turkey’s Ozgan Aysel took the silver with 231.1 points.
In the women’s 10m air rifle final, earlier in the day, on Friday, reigning Paralympic champion Avani Lekhara started her campaign on a high note as she captured the gold. Shooter Mona Agarwal accounted for bronze in the same event to swell India’s medal tally.
Shooting brought home India’s first silver in the Paris Paralympics. The silver was provided by Manish Narwal in the men’s P1 10m air pistol SH1 events. His effort added to the fast-growing medal tally of India, with the country fast emerging as a potent force in shooting sports.
India has been able to send its largest Paralympic contingent this year, with a total of 84 athletes competing in 12 sports. This is indeed indicative of the fast-expanding ecosystem of para-sports in the country. India hopes to surpass its achievements from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. At Tokyo 2020, India won a total of 19 medals, including five golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics have already set significant milestones for India. These also include the record number of participants and ambitious medal aspirations. As the games progress, India’s contingent continues to showcase impressive skill and perseverance. This display of talent is making the country proud on the international stage.
ANI
