The accomplishments of para athletes at Paris Paralympics are not just sporting success but a story of grit and determination, a story of indomitable spirit that soars high despite hardships and challenges, writes Rishabh Malik

The Paris 2024 Paralympics will go down as one of the most celebrated sporting moments in India's history. The Indian contingent’s extraordinary performances were not just a display of athletic prowess but also a powerful reminder of human resilience, willpower, and the ability to triumph against all odds. From setting new records to inspiring millions, the Indian athletes left a remarkable imprint on the global stage.

India’s Paralympians wasted no time in making their presence felt at Paris 2024. In 12 days of competition India registered 29 medals includes 7 gold, 9 silver,and 13 bronze. India's medal count marked  significant landmark and breakthroughs in Indian history of Paralympics.

India's first medal in the Paralympics came in the 1972 Games, with Murlikant Petkar winning a gold medal in swimming. Up to the recent 2024 Games, India have won 60 medals across all Paralympic Games, with the most successful Paralympic campaign being the Paris 2024 Games with 29 medals.

Shooting has traditionally been one of India's strong suits in both the Olympic and Paralympic arenas. In Paris, India’s para-shooters continued their stellar run from previous Games. Avani Lekhara, a name that had already become synonymous with Indian Paralympic shooting, won gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 category. Avani's calm demeanor and laser-focused concentration were on full display as she once again climbed to the top of the podium. This win made her a two-time Paralympic champion and reinforced her place among the world's elite shooters.

India's shooting success didn’t end there. Manish Narwal, competing in the men's 10m air SH1 pistol event, clinched silver, narrowly missing out on gold. His performance was another testament to India’s dominance in precision sports, along with Rubina Francis in the same women’s 10m air pistol category clinched bronze in shooting.

India witnessed some historic milestone in the paralympics event, For the first time India won 17 medals in athletics, with Dharambir winning gold and Pranav Soorma taking silver in the men's club throw F51 event. Dharambir also established a new Asian record of 34.92 metres. Later, Praveen Kumar set an Asian record by winning the high jump T64 championship, giving India its sixth gold medal at the Paralympics.

Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first Indian to win medals at three successive Paralympic Games when he won a bronze in the T42 high jump event. He took home silver in Tokyo 2020 and gold in Rio 2016. With a personal best time, Preethi Pal won bronze in the women's 100-meter T35 competition. It was the first-ever medal for India in a Paralympic track event. Being the only athlete from India to win two medals at the Games, her bronze in the 200m made her the most successful competitor. India finished the Paris 2024 track season with four medals overall. Among them was Deepthi Jeevanji, who won a bronze in the women's 400m T20 class to become the first intellectually disabled Indian athlete to earn a Paralympic medal.

In archery, records were also broken. In the ranking round, armless archer Sheetal Devi in short time broke the world record before coming in second. However, she later joined up with Rakesh Kumar to win the compound mixed team qualifying event with a world record score. Together with Rakesh, Sheetal, at just 17 years old, won bronze in the mixed team event to become the youngest medallist from India ever. Eventually, Harvinder Singh became the first-ever Paralympic archery champion for India.

Another athlete who made headlines was Sumit Antil, the javelin thrower who had previously set a world record in Tokyo 2020. In Paris, Sumit not only defended his title but also shattered his own record, throwing an unbelievable 70 meters in the F64 category. His performance earned him his second consecutive Paralympic gold, establishing him as a global force in the sport.

Delhi boy Navdeep Singh genetically short in height 4ft tall (Dwarfism) Navdeep who hails from Haryana employed as Inspector in the Income Tax Department. The 23 year old won a historic gold in day before the closing ceremony of Paris Paralympics. From being bullied to national champion at F41 Javelin throw event which was a astonishing turn of event before the podium after he was awarded to silver medal his Iranian competitor got disqualified before his throw which automatically upgraded him to gold medal.

There are ups and downs,there are also descents, Suyash Jadhav, (Asian para games gold medallist) in the men's 50m butterfly (S7) fell short in the competition finished fifth in Heat 1 with time 33.47 although he didn’t qualify for final but his fight against the strong contenders from the U.S. and Ukraine gave a solid remark of ginger to younger athletes. IAS officier Suhas Yathiraj came in paris to achieve the previous best in Tokyo Paralympics 2020 but restricted to silver medal in SL4 badminton.

After returning from Paris on Tuesday with India’s best ever medal tally ever(29) andr ranked 18th on team’s tally athletes received grand welcome surrounded by huge numbers of supporters greeted with showering of flowers on them.

The Indian contingent met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Thursday in New Delhi, where PM Modi interected with all para-athletes of Indian contingent and congratulating the medal winners of Paris Paralympics 2024

Athletes shared their journeys and challenges to overcome the stereotypes of the society. Paralympic Gold Medallist Avani Lekhara gifted her signed jersey to PM Modi.

Rewards were announced by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya of 75 lakh to gold-medallists, 50 lakh to silver winners and 30 lakh to bronz-medallists in the games and pledges full support from Government for the LA 2028 campaign.

While the Paris 2024 Paralympics was a roaring success for India, it also showed the challenges that continue to plague the country’s para-sporting ecosystem. Access to training, medical support, and sponsorships remains uneven, with athletes in rural areas particularly disadvantaged.

A Movement, not just Medals Paris 2024 Paralympics should not be seen as an isolated success but as part of a larger movement towards inclusion, empowerment, and equality. India's Paralympians have shown that they are not defined by their disabilities but by their abilities. Their victories are symbolic of a changing India, one that is slowly but surely starting to embrace diversity in all its forms.

As India commemorates this new chapter in athletic prowess, the effect of these players will continue to resonate, pushing the Government to provide greater support, recognition, and growth for para-sports. India's achievement at the Paralympics is more than simply a moment of glory; it is the start of a future in which the country's differently-abled athletes will continue to smash barriers, demonstrating that with spirit and drive, nothing is impossible.

Famous Columnist Akhileswar Sahay stated in his article Khel Vaani India’s Paralympic Rise: A Beacon for a More Inclusive Future

Next stop: Mission top five and mission inclusive revolution

It’s time to jumpstart two missions to be accomplished in four years: Mission Top Five Rank at Los Angeles and Mission Inclusive Revolution to make India disabled-friendly. For the first mission, India must broaden its participation base across the 550 events—both in terms of events participated in and the number of sportspersons per event. No country has a larger pool of disabled individuals than India, with “55 to 90 million,” according to a recent World Bank estimate. This demographic presents a potential goldmine of “Khojo-Paralympians” and a driving force for “Khelo Paralympics”. The lowest-hanging fruit? Track and field events, where the investment per sportsperson is low and the potential return high.

All Bharat needs to join the elite Top 5 club is 100 medals at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. It’s eminently doable, and the time starts now. Considering that in the last three years (2021–2024), between Tokyo and Paris, Indian Paralympians have amassed 48 medals, 100 medals in 2028 is not a far-fetched dream.