Paris: India surpassed its Tokyo 2020 tally to hit the 20-medal mark for the first time ever in the history of the Paralympic Games and the count was expected to increase.
After Deepthi Jeevanji pocketed bronze in women's 400m T20 race on her Paralympics debut, India added four more medals to its tally in Para-Athletics, with two double-podium finishes swelling its tally past it's Tokyo haul of 19 medals.
In the process, India also went past the milestone of 50 medals in the Paralympics, with the current count standing at 51.
Ajeet Singh won silver medal with personal best throw of 65.62m men's javelin throw F46 event while Sundar Singh Gurjar took bronze medal with season best throw of 64.96m as India achieved its first double podium finish in athletics at Paris Paralympics.
Later, Sharad Kumar clinched silver medal in men's high jump T63 with the best jump of 1.88m; setting the new Paralympic Record in T42 category; Sharad also upgraded his bronze medal from Tokyo in the event.
Mariyappan Thangavelu, the gold medalist at the 2016 Paralympics at Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile bagged the bronze medal with the best jump of 1.85m, making India's second double podium finish in athletics at Paris Games.
By winning five medals in a day, India jumped to 17th place on the medal tally at the end of the day’s action with three gold, seven silver and 10 bronze medals.
Indian athletes will feature in six medal events, aiming to add more medals to the historic medal tally.
Sheetal Devi and World ranked No.1 Rakesh Kumar secured India a medal in Paralympic Games archery competitions by defeating Italy 156-155 in the Mixed Team Compound Open bronze medal match.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated India para-athletes Thangavelu, Sharad Kumar, Sundar Singh Gurjar and Ajeet for their medal-winning performances at the Paris Paralympics.
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated the Indian Para-Badminton contingent on their return to India here. India achieved its best-ever performance in Para-badminton, in terms of total medals won, claiming five medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) in Paris 2024.
For those athletes who narrowly missed out on medals, Dr. Mandaviya offered words of encouragement, saying, “We haven't lost medals, we have gained invaluable experience. I am confident that in the future Paralympics, our medal count will further rise, and each of you will emerge as winners," he added.
