Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antil's path to Paralympic glory was paved with a 'sweet sacrifice' and several sleepless nights.
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.
Dharambir and Pranav Soorma scripted history as they won the gold and silver medal respectively in men's club throw - F51 final, at the Paralympics.
'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.'
Ukrainian cities have been under heavy Russian bombardment while the team has been performing in Beijing
Bhagat will miss the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games after being suspended for 18 months for breaching the Badminton World Federation (BWF) anti-doping regulations.
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.
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.
"Bhavina wants to meet Tendulkar and show the medal to him. He is her idol. We are trying to contact him and fix a meeting once we return to India," husband Nikul Patel said.
'In the last few months, we have been pushing ourselves and training hard. Even in the pandemic, we continued to train under the guidance of Gaurav Khanna sir and never deterred from our focus.'
Men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet, under whose leadership India won a second successive bronze medal at the Olympics, said the honour is a recognition of his "fascinating" journey in which he still has plenty more to achieve.
Thangavelu had won the Rio Paralympics T-42 high jump gold by clearing 1.89m.
Reigning World champion Pramod Bhagat continued India's fine showing at the Tokyo Paralympics with a gold medal in the badminton SL3 class event, in Tokyo, on Saturday. The 33-year-old Bhagat, who is also the world No. 1 and current Asian champion, scored a 21-11, 21-16 win over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in the first SL3 class semi-final, which lasted 36 minutes.
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.
India's para-athletes, defying physical limitations, showcased exceptional determination in their recent Paralympic campaign, contributing to a historic medal haul of 29.
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.
US skating mourns athletes lost in plane crash
Earlier in the day, Russia was banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles but its players will still be allowed to compete at the Grand Slams and in regular tour events.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to host the Olympic Games in 2036.
Ukrainian athletes were given a warm welcome in Beijing as the Winter Paralympics opened
Indian shuttler Tarun Dhillon missed out on a bronze medal after he faced a defeat at the hands of Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan in the men's singles SL4 event of the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday.
Manu Bhaker on Tuesday admitted that "there has been a lapse may be on my part" while filing nominations
Assured of at least a Paralympic silver medal after reaching the table tennis final at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday, India's Bhavinaben Patel said she doesn't consider herself as disabled and her performance at the Games proves that 'nothing is impossible'.
India as a sovereign democratic republic completed 75 years of its eventful journey on Sunday, with the stage set at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi for the ceremonial parade during which the country will showcase its military prowess and rich cultural heritage.
Aruna Tanwar enters Taekwondo quarters.
Sumit Antil sent his spear to a distance of 69.50m to stand to claim the gold medal.
Paris Paralympics Pranav Soorma and his father Sanjeev have quite a few things in common, the most striking being their looks -- well-groomed beards complimented by their ponytail hairstyle.
Manu Bhaker has been shockingly ignored for this year's Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, a top sports ministry source has asserted
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.
The Paralympic Games opened in Tokyo on Tuesday and India begin their campaign on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Patel, who had surprised even the Indian camp in this Paralympics with her sensational show, stunned China's Miao Zhang 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 in the semi-final showdown which lasted 34 minutes.
Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said the honour is a recognition of his "fascinating" journey in which he still has plenty more to achieve.
Palak is certain to make the cut for Tokyo Paralympics in women's doubles as she is currently ranked fifth in the world. The top six in the list to be published by International Paralympic Committee will get automatic qualification.
Suhas said the real backbone behind his success in sports is the unstinted support of his family.
Says he has given 'lesson of humanity'.
'It was an injury-plagued year but injury is fine now, I will be 100 per cent fit for the new season.'
Krishna Nagar secured India's second gold medal in badminton at the Tokyo Paralympics, notching a thrilling three-game win over Hong Kong's Chu Man Kai in the men's singles SH6 class final.
Defending champion Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar won a silver and bronze respectively in the men's high jump T42 event as India's medal tally at the Paralympics touched an unprecedented 10 on Tuesday.
'It was a pleasure to meet legendary Olympic medallist @Leander today! Also Congratulated him on being inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame! He continues to inspire youth and athletes to chase their dreams.'
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