Paralympics 2024: Kapil Parmar wins judo bronze, boosts India's medal tally to 25
PTC News Desk: Kapil Parmar, a visually impaired judo athlete, made history by becoming India’s first Paralympic medallist in judo, earning a bronze in the men’s 60kg (J1) category. The 24-year-old dominated his opponent, Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira, with a commanding 10-0 victory in the bronze medal playoff, marking an impressive debut at the Paralympics. Parmar’s historic win further bolstered India’s medal tally, bringing the total count to 25, which includes five gold, nine silver, and 11 bronze medals.
India had set a target of winning 25 medals at the Games, a goal now achieved thanks to the exceptional performances of its para-athletes. With more events yet to be concluded, India’s medal count may rise even further.
Despite Parmar's triumph, there were a few near misses for India on the same day. Harvinder Singh, India’s first Paralympic gold medallist in archery, along with partner Pooja Jatyan, narrowly missed securing a bronze in the mixed team recurve open event. The Indian duo lost in a tense shoot-off against Slovenia’s Ziva Lavrinc and Dejan Fabcic, 4-5. Harvinder and Pooja led 4-2 heading into the final set, but the Slovenian team fought back, taking the win in a dramatic shoot-off.
Another close call came from Simran Sharma in the women’s 100m T12 final. Accompanied by her guide, Abhay Singh, Simran finished fourth with a time of 12.31 seconds, just shy of a podium finish. The gold was won by Cuba’s Omara Durand Elias in 11.81 seconds, with Ukraine’s Oksana Boturchuk claiming silver and Germany’s Katrin Mueller taking bronze, narrowly beating Simran by 0.05 seconds.
In Chateauroux, Indian shooters Mona Agarwal and Sidhartha Babu were unable to reach the finals of the mixed 50m rifle prone (SH1) competition. Mona, who had earlier won a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle (SH1) event, finished 30th in the qualification round with a score of 610.5. Sidhartha, having previously placed 28th in the 10m air rifle prone (SH1), finished 22nd with a score of 615.8.
In the men’s shot put F35 event, India’s Aravind delivered a season-best throw of 13.01m but finished in sixth place. Despite the disappointments, India remains in the 16th position in the overall medals tally, with a total of 25 medals.
As India continues its strong performance at the Paralympics, there is hope that further successes will follow in the remaining days of the competition, showcasing the resilience and talent of its para-athletes.
- With inputs from agencies
