Indian Para Athletics Squad at Paralympics 2024: Schedule, Medal hopefuls

In Para-Athletics, men and women compete in different sports classes according to their disabilities. For instance, athletes with amputated or paralyzed arms or legs use prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs, each with their sports class.

Visually impaired athletes have guides assigned to help them in running events and for throwing events, assistive devices like sound emitters are provided to ensure that they throw within the field of play.

For Jumping events, take-off points are marked to help athletes understand and jump accurately. These sports classes also apply to athletes with intellectual coordination impairments.

Check out the full list of different sports classes in Para-Athletics.

The Stade de France in Paris will host the para-athletic competitions for the 2024 Summer Paralympics. With 164 medal events up for grabs – 90 for men and 73 for women with 1,069 para-athletes competing, this edition is the largest ever in the history of the games in terms of athlete numbers and medal events.

India is fielding a strong contingent of 38 athletes, including 10 women, at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris which is a significant increase from the 24 para-athletes sent to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Big names such as Sumit Antil, gold medalist, and Sundar Singh Gurjar, bronze medalist in javelin throw; Nishad Kumar, Mariyappan Thangavelu, and Praveen Kumar silver medalist and Sharad Kumar, bronze medalists in High Jump; Yogesh Kathunia silver medalist in discus throw, will headline the Indian para-athletics squad at the event.

Medal Hopes in Each Discipline

India, which won 8 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, is expected to surpass that tally in Paris. Only one of the medalists from the last event, Devendra Jhajaria, who won silver in javelin throw, is not competing in Paris as he has since retired and taken on the role of president of the Paralympic Committee of India. The other 7 medalists from Tokyo are part of the squad for Paris, and there are high hopes for their performance.

Javelin throw

Sumit Antil in the F64 category and Sundar Singh Gurjar in the F46 category who won gold and bronze respectively at the Tokyo Paralympics will aim for glory again at the Paris Paralympics.

Navdeep Singh, who finished fourth in the F41 category at Tokyo 2020 will be keen to secure a podium finish this time.

Ajeet Singh and Rinku, who won gold and silver medals respectively in the F46 category at the 2023 World Championships in Paris are familiar with the condition which makes them favourites to win a medal.

Sandip Sanjay Sargar who won gold in the F64 category at the 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix held at Sharjah is also a strong contender.

Another potential medal medalist in the F64 category is Sandeep Chaudhary who clinched bronze at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships held in Japan.

High Jump

Mariyappan Thangavelu’s medal streak is expected to continue as the Tamil Nadu jumper will be aiming for a hat-trick of medals at this year’s Paralympics, having won gold in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020 in the T63 category. He has also been in good form of late winning gold at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Japan.

Bronze medal winner in the same category at Tokyo, Sharad Kumar is another hope for a medal.

Shailesh Kumar, also in the T63 category surprised many, including Thangavelu by clearing 1.82 meters with ease in the Asian Games in 2022 and taking the gold medal pushing the two-time paralympic medalist to the silver medal position, it remains to be seen whether he can replicate this feat at the Paralympics.

Nishad Kumar, the silver medalist in the T47 category at Tokyo 2020 will definitely be eyeing for a gold medal in Paris 2024. Another silver medalist, Praveen Kumar, in the T64 category from Tokyo 2020, is in fine form, having secured a gold medal at the 2022 Para Asian Games.

Shot Put

Silver medalist at the 2022 Asian Games, Rongali Ravi, is one to watch in the F40 category at the Paris Paralympics. Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, the world champion in the F46 category with a gold medal from the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, also stands a strong chance of a podium finish.

Bhagyashree Jadav, India’s flag bearer and silver medalist at the Asian Games, will be aiming to hurl her way to a medal.

Club Throw & Discus Throw

Pranav Soorma stands a strong chance for a podium finish at the Paralympics, having set a new Asian Games record with a throw of 30.01 meters to win gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Yogesh Kathuniya, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist in the F56 category and the World No 1 is in high spirits to finish on a high note. The discus thrower secured back-to-back silver medals at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships held in Paris and Kobe, respectively.

Check out the full squad and the timings of Indian para-athletes

History of Indian Paralympians in Athletics

India made its Paralympic debut in 1968, eight years after the Games’ introduction in 1960. With 18 medals overall across all Paralympics, India had begun its medal tally in para-athletics at the 1984 Summer Paralympics which took place both in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Joginder Singh Bedi headlined the event for India by clinching three medals in three different sporting disciplines making him the only Indian man to win multiple medals in three disciplines at the same event.

He clinched silver in Shot Put, and two bronze medals one each in Javelin Throw and Discus Throw. Bhimrao Kesarkar clinched the silver medal in the Javelin edging out Joginder.

After two decades of medal drought, Devendra Jhajharia rekindled the paralympic spirit among Indian para-athletes by winning the gold medal in Javelin Throw in the F44/46 category at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, becoming the first Indian to win gold in athletics in across Olympics and Paralympics.

Girish Nagarajegowda won a silver medal in the High Jump F42 category at the 2012 London Paralympics.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, all four of India’s medals came from athletics with High Jumpers stealing the show. Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first gold medalist for India in the High Jump while Varun Singh Bhati clinched bronze both in the F42 category.

Devendra Jhajhria who missed winning a medal in the Paralympics after Athens made a triumphant comeback winning a gold medal in Javelin.

History was created in Rio by Deepa Malik who became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal securing silver in Shot Put in the F53 category.

Tokyo 2020 Paralympics saw a significant increase in India’s athletic medal tally with Indian High Jump contingents winning medals in different categories.

Nishad Kumar in T47, Mariyappan Thangavelu in T63, and Praveen Kumar in T64 each won silver medals, while Sharad Kumar secured a bronze in T63. Sumit Antil won the sole gold medal in athletics, breaking the world record three times with throws of 66.95 meters, 68.08 meters, and 68.55 meters.

Yogesh Kathuniya clinched a silver medal in Discus Throw in the F56 category making him the first Indian since Joginder Singh Bedi in 1984 to win a medal in this sport.

Devendra Jhajharia concluded his Olympic journey with a silver medal in the Javelin F46 category, making him a triple medalist at the Paralympics.