E-Paper
Now, India’s Para Asiad stars on track for a record medals haul at Hangzhou
India's medal count at the Asian Para Games has reached 82, surpassing its previous best mark set in 2018. This reflects India's rapid progress in para sports and its growing success in major sporting events. The president of the Paralympic Committee of India credits the inspiring performances of athletes in recent years for the increase in participation and success in para sports. India is now on track to achieve its target of winning 100 medals at the Asian Para Games.
New DelhiIt now seems hard to believe that India won just four medals at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. Hard to believe because with two days left in the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, the country’s medal county has swelled to 82 (18 gold, 23 silver, 41 bronze) — already 10 ahead of the previous best mark set in Jakarta in 2018.
With each major Para event, India is pushing forward at a stunning pace. At the 2018 Para Asian Games in Jakarta, the count reached 72 (from 33in the previous edition). At the Tokyo Olympic Games, the medal count jumped from four to 19. And now, in Hangzhou, even 100 medals doesn’t seem like a distant dream.
Coming within weeks of the Indian contingent breaching its ambitious target of 100 medals at the Asian Games, the tally at the Asian Para Games also showcases how Olympic sport in India is now on an unstoppable march.
The president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), former athlete Deepa Malik, asserts that despite the low medal count, the Rio Games were a defining inflection point. Devendra Jhajharia and Mariyappan Thangavelu winning gold in javelin F46 and high jump T42 respectively marked a tectonic shift in India’s para sports landscape.
“Devendra’s world record and gold medal were widely celebrated as was Mariyappan’s gold. It inspired a whole new generation of para athletes. We experienced a year-on-year growth in domestic events. Inspiration is always infectious, and we could all see that. We have seen an appreciable increase in wheelchair-bound athletes every year in domestic events, which is a result of a number of para athletes considering sports as a viable career option,” she sad.
“Most SAI centres are para athlete-friendly and the coaches are regularly being trained to train the upcoming crop. We conduct educational webinars for the athletes and coaches to keep them updated about changing technology. Finally, everything is coming together,” Malik added.
Faster, Higher, Stronger
India began Thursday with 64 medals and looked primed to breach the 72-medal mark. The athletes didn’t disappoint, with world champion Sachin Khilari winning India’s first gold of the day in the Shot Put F46 category, with a Games record throw of 16.03m. Medals also arrived in women’s Shot Put F34, archery, shooting and men’s badminton singles SL4, among other events. Each classification denotes the level of disability.
“We landed in Hangzhou with the aim to win 100 medals and we are well on track to achieve that. We have done our homework and made realistic assessments, and so far, we have achieved 90 percent of our targets. The fact that a number of our athletes have set world records, Games records and logged their personal bests augurs very well for the future,” Malik said from Hangzhou.
And that, indeed, is heartening.
No longer is the Indian athlete just turning up. Sumit Antil is setting new standards in the men’s javelin throw F64 category – he broke his own world record with an astonishing throw of 73.29m. Others aren’t standing still either. Sundar Singh Gurjar also broke the world record in the F46 javelin event. Every record seems to inspire even more to not just take up sport but also to excel in it.
Indian para athletes were making a mark at world events in the run-up to the continental competition. Last year, the country won 16 medals at the para badminton world championships, and 12 medals at the para shooting World Cup. This year, the para athletics world championships yielded 10 medals, the para archery world championships have fetched three medals, and India have won another 14 medals in the para shooting World Cup.
“This success is built on years of hard work. We have assiduously worked to improve our grassroots structure. A lot of emphasis is being given to nutrition and biomechanics. Our athletes get the best available prosthetics. The secret of our success lies in an athlete-centric and scientific approach for which we have onboarded experts and entered into CSR (corporate social responsibility) partnerships,” Malik said.
The Asian Para Games are still on, but many athletes already have their sights set on Paris 2024.
“I am confident that Paris Paralympics will be another major landmark in that journey,” said Malik. “We look set to better the Tokyo count there and we are moving in the right direction.”
