The last batch of India's triumphant Paralympic athletes, including shooting sensation Avani Lekhara and shuttler-cum-bureaucrat Suhas Yathiraj, returned home to a rousing reception on Monday, their supporters and families thronging the New Delhi airport for a glimpse of the heroes.
In the absence of several Indian and foreign para athletes, who had initially confirmed their participation but pulled out for various reasons, there were several events where the participation was a bare minimum -- in some disciplines just one athlete participated.
Gurjar came up with his season's best effort of 61.22m to claim the top spot.
The bipartite slots came as a relief to India after the country's para powerlifting team couldn't participate at last month's Fazza -Dubai 2021 World Cup owing to travel restrictions to the United Arab Emirates.
India's first Paralympic medal winner archer Harvinder Singh, who had turned his farm at a Punjab village into a practice ground during the lockdown, on Tuesday attributed his success to long hours of training, including "practice of tie shots and breathing exercises".
Javelin thrower Tek Chand will be India's flag-bearer at the Tokyo Paralympics opening ceremony after Thangavelu Mariyappan, who was initially named as flag-bearer, was quarantined following close contact with a COVID-19 positive person on their flight to Tokyo.
Speaking to ANI, Deepa Malik, the president of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), said that the Indian team looks in great shape.
Indian shooter Avani Lekhara said that she felt nice and happy after winning the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics.
With the Tokyo Paralympics opening on Tuesday, here's a look at all the past Indian medallists.
Indian delegation meets IOC officials for dialogue on hosting future Olympics
India's discus thrower Vinod Kumar on Monday lost his F52 category bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics after being found ineligible in disability classification assessment by the competition panel.
Thangavelu had won the Rio Paralympics T-42 high jump gold by clearing 1.89m.
Bhavinaben Patel scripted history on Friday, becoming the first Indian table tennis player to secure a medal in the Paralympics after entering the semi-finals with a stunning straight-game win over world No. 5 Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia in the women's singles Class 4 event, in Tokyo. The 34-year-old won her quarter-final 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 in 18 minutes.
The likes of Antil, who is bidding to become the first Indian to defend his Paralympics gold, will train at facilities near the French capital to acclimatise with the weather conditions there.
'Historically, there hasn't been much representation around para-athletes from a brand perspective.' 'With their best medal tally in Paris, it has triggered considerable organic interest.'
Rinku Hooda and Ajeet Singh finished third and fourth respectively in the men's F46 javelin throw final on Friday, but the result was put on hold after India lodged a protest that Herath was ineligible to compete in the category.
Jhajharia, himself a para-javelin throw legend with double Paralympics gold in F46 category, said when Chopra breaks the barrier of 90m, he will do it by a big margin, going past the elusive mark by 3 to 4 metres.
As many as 12 Indian athletes have qualified for the 2012 London Paralympics as the country finished an impressive second at the first Malaysian Para Athletics Championships, which concluded on Friday.
Deepa Malik believes the country's medal count will be in double digits at the Tokyo Games next year.
Indian challenge ended in the compound mixed pair open section of the archery competition after the duo of Rakesh Kumar and Jyoti Baliyan made a quarterfinal exit in the Paralympic Games on Sunday.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha on Tuesday insisted that its commitment to host the 2036 Summer Games "remained steadfast" despite the "internal challenges" her organisation has been facing due to her feud with the Executive Council members.
India rewrote several records and unlocked some new firsts at the Paralympic Games.
The Tokyo Paralympics slated to begin on August 24, will be Jhajharia's third Paralympics.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday formed a three-member committee to "review the delivery" of the T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies last month.
Bhupathi also spoke about young up-and-coming tennis star Maaya Rajeshwaran, who is shaping up to be the next big star from India in the sport.
Neeraj Chopra not to try anything new during competition worked wonders for Sumit Antil who heeded to the superstar javelin thrower's advice to win back-to-back gold
Sebastian Coe, a contender for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president's post, believes India's bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games is a "strong case" but acknowledges that the competition will be intense with several other countries vying for the honor. Coe, considered a frontrunner in the race to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president, expressed his support for India's commitment to global sport and the Olympic movement.
Indian shooter Manu Bhaker is among over 100 athletes who have complained about 'deteriorating' Paris Games medals and are like to get replacements.
Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antil's path to Paralympic glory was paved with a 'sweet sacrifice' and several sleepless nights.
Junior National team chief coach Ramesh Nagpuri was suspended by the National Anti Doping Agency for "complicity" in doping and seven athletes were in dock for "evading" tests after a slew of dope cases rocked Indian athletics.
Suhas L Yathiraj along Manoj Sarkar on Friday qualified after the game's governing body BWF granted two bipartite quotas to India, making it a seven-member contingent at the Tokyo Games, beginning August 24.
Bhavinaben Patel became only the second Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics after she claimed a historic silver following a 0-3 loss to world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the women's singles table tennis class 4 final at the Tokyo Games on Sunday.
A congenital impairment notwithstanding, Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Praveen Kumar was such a sports freak in his school days that he googled about para athletics and how to participate in the paralympics.
Shooter Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics while Gukesh was crowned the World Chess Champion in Singapore, last month.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to host the Olympic Games in 2036.
'...when I read Abhinav Bindra Sir's autobiography, it really inspired me, because he gave his 100 per cent to what he did and he won India's first individual gold medal.'
The 19-year-old Narwal fired a total score of 218.2, a Paralympic record, to claim the yellow metal while Adana, who won bronze in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1 event on Tuesday, added a silver to his kitty with an effort of 216.7.
India face competition from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, who are positioning themselves as strong contenders to host the 2036 Olympics.
Manu Bhaker has been shockingly ignored for this year's Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, a top sports ministry source has asserted
Flash targets for Para Shooting World Cup trap finals create controversy.
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