India made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with its best-ever performance, winning an impressive total of 29 medals. This included seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, eclipsing their previous record of 19 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The country’s overall Paralympic medal tally has now surpassed the 50-medal mark, marking a major milestone in India’s Paralympic journey.
Largest Contingent and New Sports Debut
A contingent of 84 para-athletes represented India at Paris 2024, the largest-ever for the country. Competing in 12 disciplines, up from nine at the previous Games, Indian athletes made their debut in three new sports: para-cycling, para-rowing, and blind judo. This broader participation reflected India’s growing strength and focus on Paralympic sports.
Notable Achievements
One of the standout performances came from Avani Lekhara, who became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics. Lekhara defended her title in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, breaking her own world record.
Preethi Pal also etched her name in history by winning India’s first-ever track medal at the Paralympics, securing bronze in the women’s 100m T35 event. She added another bronze in the 200m, becoming India’s most successful track athlete at the Games.
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Full List of Indian Medal Winners
| No. | Athlete | Sport | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avani Lekhara | Shooting | Women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 | Gold |
| 2 | Mona Agarwal | Shooting | Women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 | Bronze |
| 3 | Preethi Pal | Athletics | Women’s 100m T35 | Bronze |
| 4 | Manish Narwal | Shooting | Men’s 10m air pistol SH1 | Silver |
| 5 | Rubina Francis | Shooting | Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 | Bronze |
| 6 | Preethi Pal | Athletics | Women’s 200m T35 | Bronze |
| 7 | Nishad Kumar | Athletics | Men’s high jump T47 | Silver |
| 8 | Yogesh Kathuniya | Athletics | Men’s discus throw F56 | Silver |
| 9 | Nitesh Kumar | Badminton | Men’s singles SL3 | Gold |
| 10 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Badminton | Women’s singles SU5 | Silver |
| 11 | Manisha Ramadass | Badminton | Women’s singles SU5 | Bronze |
| 12 | Suhas Yathiraj | Badminton | Men’s singles SL4 | Silver |
| 13 | Rakesh Kumar / Sheetal Devi | Archery | Mixed team compound open | Bronze |
| 14 | Sumit Antil | Athletics | Javelin throw F64 | Gold |
| 15 | Nithya Sre Sivan | Badminton | Women’s singles SH6 | Bronze |
| 16 | Deepthi Jeevanji | Athletics | Women’s 400m T20 | Bronze |
| 17 | Mariyappan Thangavelu | Athletics | Men’s high jump T63 | Bronze |
| 18 | Sharad Kumar | Athletics | Men’s high jump T63 | Silver |
| 19 | Ajeet Singh | Athletics | Men’s javelin throw F46 | Silver |
| 20 | Sundar Singh Gurjar | Athletics | Men’s javelin throw F46 | Bronze |
| 21 | Sachin Khilari | Athletics | Men’s shot put F46 | Silver |
| 22 | Harvinder Singh | Archery | Men’s individual recurve open | Gold |
| 23 | Dharambir | Athletics | Men’s club throw F51 | Gold |
| 24 | Parnav Soorma | Athletics | Men’s club throw F51 | Silver |
| 25 | Kapil Parmar | Judo | Men’s -60kg J1 | Bronze |
| 26 | Praveen Kumar | Athletics | Men’s high jump T64 | Gold |
| 27 | Hokato Hotozhe Sema | Athletics | Men’s shot put F57 | Bronze |
| 28 | Simran | Athletics | Women’s 200m T12 | Bronze |
| 29 | Navdeep Singh | Athletics | Men’s javelin throw F41 | Gold |
India’s Impact in Archery and Other Sports
India’s para-archers made history in Paris 2024, with Sheetal Devi setting a world record in the ranking round and winning a silver medal. At just 17 years old, she became the youngest Indian Paralympic medallist. Sheetal also teamed up with Rakesh Kumar to achieve a world record score in the compound mixed team qualification event.
In a historic achievement, Harvinder Singh became India’s first-ever Paralympic archery champion, adding to the country’s medal tally and making a mark for future Indian para-archers.
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Sport-wise Breakdown of Medals
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Athletics | 4 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| Badminton | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Judo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Shooting | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 7 | 9 | 13 | 29 |
A Historic Milestone
India’s performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics represents not only a significant achievement but also a milestone for para-sports in the country. The increase in participation, diversity of sports, and sheer number of medals won is a testament to the growing support for para-athletes in India.
India’s para-athletes have once again proven their mettle on the international stage, setting new standards for the country’s sports landscape and inspiring a new generation of athletes.
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