Paris Paralympics – Central News Hub

Archer Harvinder Clinches Gold

With this achievement, Harvinder became the first and only Indian archer to win a gold medal in the Paralympics and Olympics…reports Asian Lite News

Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Harvinder Singh made further history for India by winning the gold medal in the Men’s Individual Recurve Open, becoming the first Indian archer to win a gold medal in the Paralympic Games. With a consistent and rock-solid performance, Harvinder Singh, a bronze medallist in the second event in the Tokyo Paralympic Games three years back, bagged the gold medal by blanking Lukasz Ciszek of Poland 6-0 in the final on Wednesday.

With this achievement, Harvinder became the first and only Indian archer to win a gold medal in the Paralympics and Olympics. He is also the first and only archer to secure medals in consecutive editions of the Paralympics.

Harvinder’s gold medal took India’s tally to 22 medals in Paris with four gold, eight silver and 10 bronze. India have thus moved to the 15th spot in the standings. Harvinder’s gold comes after Sachin Khilari claimed a silver medal earlier in the day.

In the Gold Medal Match on Wednesday, Harvinder came up with a dominant display.

A 10 in the first set besides two 9s secured Harvinder Singh the first set as the Pole shot a seven in between nine and eight for a 28-24 win. Up 2-0, Harvinder started the second set with two successive nines and then topped it with a 10 for 28 while Ciszek had three 9s for another narrow defeat. Harvinder, from a farmer’s family from Kaithal in Haryana, sealed the gold medal with two 10s followed by a nine (29) while Ciszek started with a seven and then scored two 9s for a 29-25 win.

Earlier, Harvinder had assured himself a second successive medal in the Paralympic Games as he stormed into the final with a come-from-behind win over Iran’s Arab Ameri Mohammad Reza in the semifinal here on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old Harvinder came up with a brilliant performance, coming back after losing the first set to stun the Iranian 7-3, sealing a place in the maiden final at the Paralympic Games.

In the semifinal, Harvinder lost the first set 26-25 because of a seven on his second arrow. The second set ended in a tie at 27-27. he then levelled scores at 3-3 by winning the third set 27-25 and surged ahead to a 5-3 set points lead by winning the fourth set 26-24.

Harvinder Singh then sealed a place in the final with another steady performance, shooting two 9s and an eight for a 26-25 win after the Iranian started with a 10 but faltered for an eight and seven on his next two arrows.

Earlier, Harvinder, who had bagged a bronze medal in the Tokyo Paralympic Games after losing in the semifinals, got the better of Colombia’s Julio Ramirez Hector 6-2 in a quarterfinal clash.

The Indian had started the day with a 7-3 win over Tseng Lung-Hui of Chinese Taipei and continued to march ahead with a fine 6-2 win over Indonesia’s Setiawan Setiawan in the prequarters.

PM Modi Praises Harvinder Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Harvinder Singh for winning a historic maiden gold medal in the archery competition of the Paralympic Games in Paris on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian to bag a second successive medal in the Games adding to the bronze he claimed in Tokyo 2020.

In the gold medal match on Wednesday, Harvinder defeated Lukasz Ciszek of Poland 6-0 in the final, becoming the first Indian archer to win a gold medal in the Paralympic Games.

“A very special gold in Para Archery! Congratulations to Harvinder Singh for winning the Gold medal in the Men’s Individual Recurve Open at the #Paralympics2024!,” PM Modi said in a post on his social media account.

“His precision, focus and unwavering spirit are outstanding. India is very happy with his accomplishment,” PM Modi wrote in his post.

With a consistent and rock-solid performance, Harvinder dominated the final, winning the first set 28-24. Up 2-0, Harvinder started the second set with two successive nines and then topped it with a 10 for 28 while Ciszek had three 9s for another narrow defeat.

Harvinder Singh, originally from Ajit Nagar village in Haryana’s Kaithal district, belongs to a farmer family. When he was just one and a half years old, he contracted dengue and required injections for treatment. Unfortunately, the side effects of those injections led to the loss of function in his legs. Despite this setback, he discovered a passion for archery while watching the London Paralympics in 2012.

However, the deformity failed to prevent him from excelling in his chosen field.

ALSO READ: India’s Deepthi Jeevanji Wins Bronze

India’s Deepthi Jeevanji Wins Bronze

Deepthi, who won gold at the Para Asian Games and the World Championships, finished 0.66 seconds behind the gold medallist….reports Asian Lite News

Indian para-sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji won her maiden bronze in the women’s 400m T20 category in the ongoing Paris Paralympics here on Tuesday. Deepthi clocked the timing of 55.82 seconds at the Stade de France to finish behind Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar (55.16 secs) and Turkiye’s world record holder Aysel Onder (55.23 secs).

Deepthi, who won gold at the Para Asian Games and the World Championships, finished 0.66 seconds behind the gold medallist. It is India’s sixth medal in para-athletics after Preethi Pal (two bronze), Nishad Kumar (silver), Yogesh Kathuniya (silver) and Sumit Antil (gold) won medals in their respective disciplines.

India has so far claimed 16 medals in the Paris Paralympics and sits in 18th place in the standings.

Deepthi, a young athlete from Telangana, has made a remarkable impact on the world of para-athletics. Despite facing challenges due to her intellectual impairment, Jeevanji has proved her mettle on the international stage. At the age of 15, she was first spotted by N. Ramesh, a coach from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), during a state-level athletics meet. Recognising her potential, Ramesh took her under his wings and began training her.

Deepthi’s journey in para-athletics began with her participation in the Asian Youth Championships held in Hong Kong in 2019, where she won a bronze medal. Despite her intellectual impairment, which makes it difficult for her to express her feelings like other girls of her age, Deepthi remained determined to excel in her sport.

She continued to train diligently and participated in various events organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) between 2019 and 2022. Her hard work paid off when she won a gold medal in both the 100m and 200m events at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati. Deepthi’s success continued at the National Junior and Youth Championships, where she won multiple medals. Her achievements earned her the status of a Khelo India Athlete.

Jeevanji’s most significant achievement came at the Asian Para Games in 2023, where she created history by breaking the Games Record and Asian Record followed by a World Record of 55.07s registered at the World Championship 2024. Her exceptional performance earned her a gold medal, cementing her place as a rising star in the world of para-athletics.

Pooja Falls in Quarterfinals

Indian para-archer Pooja failed to capitalise on a 4-0 advantage and missed a spot in the semifinals as she lost to China’s Wu Chunyan in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Recurve Open archery competition at the Paralympic Games here on Tuesday.

Pooja went down 4-6 to the Chinese archer after winning the first two sets 28-23 and 25-24 in the French capital. Wu Chunyan won three consecutive sets 28-27, 27-24 and 27-24 to win the quarterfinal match.

After winning the first two games, Pooja was on the verge of victory, having shot two 10s in the third set while her opponent had a 10 and a nine. But just when it mattered the most, Pooja could manage only a seven on her third turn in the third set while the Chinese archer had a nine on her third arrow and won the set to remain alive in the quarterfinal.

Two more seven points in the next two sets put paid to her chances as the Chinese girl wrapped up victory and stormed into the semifinal.

Earlier, Pooja had made it to the quarterfinals after beating Sengul Yagmur of Turkey in a pre-quarterfinal clash at the Invalides. Pooja blanked the Turkish archer 6-0, where both archers failed to hit a single 10. Pooja took advantage of her opponent’s mistakes to win the match.

However, her luck ran out against the Chinese and she bowed out with a narrow defeat.

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