Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Meet the Indian athletes who have won medals so far | News Tokyo Paralympic Games

NEW DELHI: From an Indian perspective, just like the Olympics, the current edition of the Tokyo Paralympic Games will never be forgotten.
India has already registered its best ever performance at a single edition of the Paralympic Games, with medal winnings reaching double digits for the first time in India’s history at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Before that, India’s best performance in the Paralympics was a total of 4 medals, which were registered in two separate editions (1984 and 2016).
India has so far collected two gold medals, five silver and three bronze medals. China and Great Britain are currently the top two countries on the medal tally.
Here’s a quick look at the 10 Indian athletes who have won medals so far at this edition of the Tokyo Paralympic Games:
Bhavinaben Patel (Table Tennis) – Silver

Table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel opened India’s account at the Games when she became only the second Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympic Games.
Playing the gold medal match, Bhavina won the silver medal, after losing to Chinese paddler Ying Zhou 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 in the women’s singles table tennis class 4 final on August 29.
Bhavina, 34, from Sundhiya village in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, was diagnosed with polio at age 12 and plays in a wheelchair. She is coached by her husband Nikul Patel, who has also played junior cricket for Gujarat.
Nishad Kumara (High Jump) – Silver

Nishad Kumar won India’s second medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games when he took a silver medal in the men’s T47 high jump event on August 29 with an Asian record of 2.06m.
The T47 class is intended for athletes with a unilateral limitation of the upper limbs resulting in some loss of function of the shoulder, elbow and wrist.
Hailing from Una in Himachal Pradesh, 21-year-old Nishad had suffered an accident at the age of eight in which he lost his right hand.
Avani Lekhara (Shoot) – Gold

Avani Lekhara made history on August 30 when she became the first Indian woman ever to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games.
Avani made her way to the top of the podium in the women’s R-2 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, beating the 2016 Rio Games gold medalist, China’s Cuiping Zhangh, who took the silver medal.
Avani finished with a world record totaling 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record.
Avani also became only the fourth Indian athlete to win gold at the Paralympic Games, after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016) and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu (2016).
Avani, 19, from Jaipur, had suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2012.
In the SH1 Rifle category, shooters can hold a pistol with arms. The athletes have a limitation in their legs, for example amputations or spinal cord injury. Some athletes compete in a sitting position, while others compete in a standing position.
Yogesh Kathuniya (Discus Throw) – Silver

Yogesh Kathuniya won the second medal for India on August 30 when he sent the disc to a best distance of 44.38m in his sixth and final attempt to take silver in the F56 standings.
The 24-year-old Kathuniya, son of an army man, is a graduate of B.Com at Kirorimal College in New Delhi.
Kathuniya had a paralysis attack at the age of eight, which left him with coordination problems in his limbs.
In the F56 classification, athletes have full arm and trunk muscle strength. Pelvic stability is provided by an up to full ability to compress the knees.
Devendra Jhajharia (Javelin Throw) – Silver

Two-time gold medalist javelin throw veteran Devendra Jhajharia took his third Paralympic medal on August 30 when he set a new personal best throw of 64.35m to take silver in the F46 standings.
Jhajharia, 40, from the Churu district of Rajasthan, had lost his left hand after accidentally touching a power wire at the age of eight while climbing a tree.
The F46 rating is for athletes with arm deficiency, decreased muscle strength, or decreased passive range of motion in the arms, where athletes compete in a standing position.
Sundar Singh Gurjar (Javelin Throw) – Bronze

It was a double delight for India in the F46 men’s javelin final on August 30, when Sundar Singh Gurjar took bronze and finished behind Jhajharia with a best effort of 64.01m.
Hailing from Rajasthan’s Karauli, 25-year-old Gurjar competed in the general category until 2015, but after he suffered an accident while repairing a tin awning at his friend’s house, which led to amputation of the wrist of the left hand, Gurjar now competes in the F-46 javelin category.
Gurjar had made it to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games but was disqualified for reporting late to the call room for the event. The bronze on August 30 was nothing less than redemption for him.
Sumit Antili (Javelin Throw) – Gold

Sumit Antil shattered the world record in the men’s F64 category multiple times in a stunning game debut, taking India’s second gold medal on August 30.
Antil sent the javelin to 68.55m in his fifth attempt, which was the best of the day with a decent distance and a new world record.
Antil broke the previous world record of 62.88m, also by him, five times on the day. His last pitch was a foul. His runs were 66.95, 68.08, 65.27, 66.71, 68.55 and foul.
Antil was a healthy wrestler before losing his left leg below the knee after being involved in a motorcycle accident in 2015.
Antil, 23, from Sonepat in Haryana, is a student of Ramjas College in Delhi.
The category F64 is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prostheses in a standing position.
Singhraj Adhana (Shooting) – Bronze

Singhraj Adhana won India’s second medal in shooting when he won the bronze medal in the men’s P1 10m air pistol SH1 event on August 31.
Adhana made his Games debut, shooting a total of 216.8 points to finish the event in third place after qualifying for the eight-man final as sixth best shooter.
The 39-year-old gunman, from Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, has polio and only started the sport four years ago.
P1 is a standings for the men’s 10 air pistol competition. Some shooters compete in a seated position, while others aim in a standing position as defined in the rules.
Mariyappan Thangavelu (High Jump) – Silver

Defending champion Mariyappan Thangavelu managed to win 1.86m and won silver in the men’s high jump T42 event on 31 August.
Mariyappan, 26, had won gold at the Rio Games five years ago. With his silver medal in Tokyo, Mariyappan became the third Indian after Joginder Singh Bedi and Devendra Jhajharia to win multiple medals at the Paralympic Games.
Mariyappan, from Tamil Nadu, was permanently disabled when he was five years old. He was on his way to school when a drunk driver at the wheel of a bus ran over his right leg, crushing his knee and leaving him with a permanent disability.
Raised by a single mother after his father left the family, Mariyappan fought abject poverty growing up when his mother worked as a laborer before becoming a vegetable seller.
The T42 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, reduced muscle strength or reduced passive range of motion in the legs. The athletes compete in a standing position.
Sharad Kumar (High Jump) – Bronze

With a 1.83m jump, Sharad Kumar won a bronze medal in the men’s T42 high jump event on August 31.
Hailing from Patna, Bihar, Sharad attended Delhi’s Modern School and Kirorimal College and took the high jump when he was in grade 7 at St Paul’s School in Darjeeling.
Sharad is also a Sports Authority of India coach. He trained for three years in Ukraine from 2017 to prepare for the Paralympic Games.
Sharad had suffered paralysis of his left leg as a two-year-old after receiving a false dose of polio vaccine.