President Droupadi Murmu has extended warm wishes to the Indian athletes Ajeet Singh, Sundar Singh Gurjar, Sharad Kumar, and Mariyappan Thangavelu for their fabulous triumphs at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
The poster boy for men’s javelin throw was Ajeet Singh, but the star was none other than Sundar Singh Gurjar. Ajeet managed a silver with his throw of 65.62 meters, a personal best. Meanwhile, Sundar took the bronze with his season-best throw of 64.96 meters. Guillermo of Cuba claimed the gold with a massive 66.14 meters. Consequently, their performances spoke volumes about India’s emergence in the F46 class of the javelin throw.
The President of India, Murmu, tweeted over X: “My heartiest congratulations to Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar for their silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Furthermore, their victories add sheen to India’s performance along with the gold by Sumit Antil. I hope they will continue bringing laurels to our country.”
The President congratulated Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu for their stellar performances in the men’s high jump. Sharad won a silver with 1.88 meters, while Mariyappan took bronze with 1.85 meters. The gold went to Ezra Frech of the United States, who made 1.94 meters in a new Paralympic Record.
In her message, President Murmu hailed their achievements as a herald of continued excellence: “I extend my warmest congratulations to Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu for their silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the men’s high jump in the Paris 2024 Paralympics. This is the second individual medal for Sharad and the third in different Paralympics for Mariyappan. Their achievement is an inspiring lesson for others, especially aspiring athletes with a dream to achieve international standards.“
Indian para-athletes made history in the Paris Games. They surpassed their previous record of 19 medals won at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. With the latest wins, India attained an all-time historic tally of 20 medals: three gold, seven silver, and ten bronze. Remarkably, within just two days, the Indian contingent garnered 13 medals, pushing the tally to this unprecedented level.
Previously, India’s best-ever medal haul was 19, which included five gold, eight silver, and six bronze, achieved in the Tokyo 2021 competition. Moreover, India sent its largest-ever Paralympic team of 84 athletes competing in 12 sports this year. This clearly reflects the country’s increasing focus on para-sports and growing medal hopes.
The great performance by the Indian stars in para-sports has been an assertion of India’s growing influence in the recently concluded 2024 Paralympics in Paris. It created new benchmarks for a record medal haul and a bigger team than in previous years, promising more podium finishes in future international events.
ANI
