'To the youth, I will say work hard. One minute of work will not get you anything. I have worked hard for the past 20 years, 2002 was the first time I won a gold medal.'
Mariayappan Thangavelu on Tuesday rued that rain foiled his bid for a second consecutive gold medal at the Paralympics, saying the wet sock did not let him give his best in the T42 event in Tokyo.
Team management was always clear that once Rohit is fit and able to join the squad, he will be Rahane's deputy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacted with 10 athletes, including 2016 Rio edition gold winners Devendra Jhajharia and Mariyappan Thangavelu, and urged them to compete without pressure at the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.
Flag bearer Tek Chand will lead the Indian contingent -- India will be represented by 54 para athletes, the biggest ever contingent in the history of the Games.
'Neeraj's gold medal can be a turning point for the game in India. India's first Olympic medal in track and field and that too a gold.'
The Tokyo Paralympics slated to begin on August 24, will be Jhajharia's third Paralympics.
Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia became the first Indian to clinch two gold medals at the Paralympics after he broke his own world record to clinch the top honours at the Rio Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Sharad Kumar smashes continental record for gold in men's high jump
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
India's Amit Kumar Saroha clinched a silver in men's club throw F51 competition in World Para Athletics Championships in London on Monday.
'Instead of making this a four-year phenomenon, when you look at us and get thrilled, do it more regularly.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia has revealed that a "deal" with his six-year-old daughter propelled him to win a record second gold medal in the Paralympics.
In the absence of Paralympic gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia, Sundar, who had been disqualified from his event in Rio 2016 due to technical reasons, found redemption and took home the gold medal and the tag of world champion with a personal best throw of 60.36m.
Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Wednesday refused to commit if medallists of the ongoing Rio Paralympics will be conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award -- the highest sporting honour in the country. An Olympic medallist directly qualifies for the Khel Ratna award during an Olympic year but Goel said there is no such policy in place for the paralympians.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met the Indian athletes who took part in the Rio Paralympic Games, including the four medallists, and applauded them for making the country proud with their achievements. The 19-member Indian contingent had returned home from the Paralympics with two golds, one silver and a bronze. Mariyappan Thangavelu (men's T42 high jump) and Devendra Jhajharia (men's F46 javelin throw) had won gold in their respective events while Deepa Malik (women's F53 shot put) and Varun Singh Bhati (men's T42 high jump) had bagged a silver and bronze respectively.
The Rediff Labs team analysed the data from Rio 2016 Paralympic Games' official website and created the above map with a total number of medals won by each country.
India's Amit Kumar Saroha missed the bronze medal by a whisker in the men's F51 club throw competition at the Rio Paralympic Games on Friday.
Sandeep Chaudhary claimed the top honours with a best throw of 60.01m, which he managed in his third attempt.
Devendra Jhajharia, on Tuesday became the first para athlete to receive India's highest sporting honour -- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- along with hockey star Sardar Singh, who has endured trying times off the field in the last one year.
The 36-year-old Jhajharia, who is the first Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals, was the first choice of the awards selection committee.
The gold medal in men's javelin throw F46 category in the Rio Paralympics made Devendra Jhajharia the most successful Indian para athlete ever but he is in no mood to stop here and is eyeing for a treble in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The 35-year-old Jhajharia, a left-hand amputee, is the only Indian para athlete to have won two gold medals in the Paralympics, the earlier one being the yellow metal he won in 2004 Athens. "I am not stopping here after the Rio success. I have enough gas in my tank and I will definitely go for gold in Tokyo. I know my body and I can still train two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening rigorously everyday, just like I did in the build-up to the Rio Paralympics," Jhajharia told PTI in an interview.
Four Indian Paralympics medal winners at the Rio Games last month -- Devendra Jhajharia, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Deepa Malik and Varun Singh Bhati -- were on Monday felicitated by a host of personalities, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
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