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Tag: Paralympics 2020

  • Better than one of the best: Meet India’s 19 medallists at Tokyo Paralympics 2020

    India’s paralympians managed to be all these and rather more in an epoch-making marketing campaign on the Tokyo Games the place an unparalleled 19 medals, together with 5 gold, helped them log off twenty fourth within the general tally — the very best ever.
    The complete nation applauded Avani’s heroic present at Paralympics. (PTI)
    1. Avani Lakhera, Shooting (Gold and Bronze)
    The 19-year-old Lekhara grew to become the primary Indian lady to win a Games gold (10m air rifle) and later added a bronze in 50m rifle 3 positions to make sure that her identify would now be a part of each India-centric Paralympic quiz.  It was an inspiring present by {the teenager} who was paralysed waist down after being injured in a automotive accident in 2012. And to think about it, all her father had hoped to attain by taking her to the taking pictures vary was for Lekhara to recover from the anger she had internalised after the accident which left her wheelchair-bound.
    Along with a gold medal, Sumit Antil additionally created a brand new world document. (Photo: Reuters/Molly Darlington)
    2. Sumit Antil, Javelin Thrower, Gold
    Nearly half (8) of India’s haul this time got here from the track-and-field area with javelin thrower Sumit Antil shining the brightest with a gold en route which he shattered his personal world document 5 occasions over. Antil was pursuing a profession in wrestling, as his household wished, earlier than a motorcycle accident led to the amputation of his left leg, altering the course of his life without end.
    Haryana Govt has introduced a Rs. 6 crore prize for Narwal. (Twitter)
    3. Manish Narwal, Shooting, Gold
    Another taking pictures star rose on the horizon with Manish Narwal, all of 19, already a world champion and now a Paralympic champion as effectively. Narwal’s proper hand is impaired and he initially wished to be a footballer however destiny had different plans for the Lionel Messi fan.
    Pramod Bhagat celebrates in Tokyo on Saturday. (Agencies)
    4. Pramod Bhagat, Badminton, Gold
    Bhagat received the Men’s Singles SL3 occasion badminton gold medal match towards Great Britain’s Daniell Bethell on the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday. This is India’s first medal in badminton on the Paralympics Games. Bhagat was 8 factors behind within the second sport earlier than making a comeback and wrapping up the match 21-14, 21-17. The 33-year-old Bhagat from Bhubaneswar additionally stays in rivalry for a bronze medal in combined doubles SL3-SU5 class. Bhagat and his accomplice Palak Kohli will sq. off towards Japanese pair of Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino within the bronze medal play off on Sunday.
    Krishna Nagar poses for pictures after receiving a gold medal for males’s singles SH6 gold medal badminton on the Tokyo Paralympics. (AP)
    5. Krishna Nagar, Badminton, Gold
    Krishna Nagar received the second Para-Badminton gold for India on Sunday as he beat Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 within the males’s singles SH6 ultimate. He turns into the first-ever SH6 gold medallist within the historical past of the Indian Paralympics. This is India’s nineteenth medal and the fifth gold within the occasion. It was a decent contest proper from the beginning between Nagar and Man Kai Chu. In the primary sport, Kai Chu headed into the mid-game interval with a slender lead however Nagar got here again effectively to win the primary sport 21-17. In the second sport, the Hong Kong participant constructed a lead and it appeared like Nagar’s sport dropped a bit within the first half of the second sport. Chu Man Kai continued along with his momentum and got here again strongly and finally received the sport 21-16.
    Bhavina Patel misplaced to World No.1 Chinese stalwart Zhou Ying 7-11, 7-11, 6-11 within the ultimate. (Twitter/Tokyo2020hi)
    6. Bhavinaben Patel, Table Tennis, Silver
    Indian desk tennis participant Bhavinaben Patel signed off with a historic silver medal in her maiden Paralympic Games after happening 0-3 to world primary Chinese paddler Ying Zhou within the girls’s singles class 4 ultimate on August 29. The 34-year-old Patel’s spectacular run on the Games ended with a 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to Zhou, a two-time gold medallist, within the girls’s singles summit conflict which lasted 19 minutes.
    Nishad Kumar secured India’s second medal on the Tokyo Paralympics. (PCI)
    7. Nishad Kumar, High Jump, Silver
    India’s Nishad Kumar clinched a silver medal within the males’s excessive bounce T47 occasion within the Tokyo Paralympics with an Asian document effort on Sunday. Kumar cleared 2.06m to win the silver and set an Asian document. American Dallas Wise was additionally awarded a silver as he and Kumar cleared the identical top of two.06m.Another American, Roderick Townsend received the gold with a world document bounce of two.15m.
    Yogesh Kathuniya after profitable the medal. (Agencies)
    8. Yogesh Kathuniya, Discus Thrower, Silver
    The Indian Paralympic discus throw athlete, who represented India this yr, received a silver medal within the males’s discus throw F56 occasion. He suffers from Guillain Barre syndrome, a uncommon neurological dysfunction, and was confined to a wheelchair in 2006. However, he began to stroll after his mom gave him physiotherapy. He began in para sports activities in 2017 whereas learning at Delhi’s Kirori Mal College.
    Devendra Jhajharia in motion at Tokyo Paralympics. (PCT)
    9. Devendra Jhajharia, Javelin Thrower, Silver
    Two-time gold-winning javelin throw veteran Devendra Jhajharia clinched a stupendous third Paralympic medal, a silver this time. The F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle energy or impaired passive vary of motion in arms, with athletes competing in a standing place. The 40-year-old Jhajahria, already India’s biggest Paralympian after profitable gold medals within the 2004 and 2016 Games, pulled off a brand new private finest throw of 64.35m for the silver. Jhajahria, who misplaced his left hand after by chance touching an electrical wire whereas climbing a tree on the age of eight, bettered his personal earlier world document (63.97m) however gold winner Sri Lankan Dinesh Priyan Herath Mudiyanselage (67.79m), who set a brand new world document, was too good for your complete subject.
    Mariyappan Thangavelu after reaching residence.
    10. Mariyappan Thangavelu, Long Jump, Silver
    India’s Mariyappan Thangavelu received silver within the males’s excessive bounce finalin Class T42. Mariyappan Thangavelu clinched silver after leaping the mark of 1.86m. This is his second medal on the Games, having already received a gold in Rio 2016. Mariyappan and USA’s Sam Grewe quickly accomplished the 1.86m mark on their third try as Sharad needed to be glad with a bronze after seeing three pink flags.
    Singhraj Adhana competes in males’s air pistol (Source: PCI)
    11. Singhraj Adhana, Shooter, Silver and Bronze
    Singhraj clinched the Silver medal within the P4 – Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 ultimate on Saturday. He grabbed his second medal of the Tokyo Paralympics with 216.7 factors. National Anthem was performed when the Singhraj and Manish Narwal had been being awarded the medals. Singhraj stated he was delighted to see India’s nationwide flag flying excessive throughout the nationwide anthem. Earlier this week, Singhraj clinched a bronze medal within the P1 males’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 ultimate.
    The 18-year-old Kumar set a brand new Asian document with a 2.07m bounce on the Paralympics. (Twitter/DK)
    12. Praveen Kumar, High Jump, Silver
    Praveen Kumar clinched the silver medal within the males’s excessive bounce T64 occasion of the Paralympics, taking the nation’s haul to 11 within the ongoing Games. The 18-year-old Kumar, competing in his debut Paralympics, set a brand new Asian document with a 2.07m bounce to complete behind Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards, who notched up his season’s finest of two.10m for the gold.
    Suhas Yathiraj along with his medal. (Agencies)
    13. Suhas Yathiraj, Badminton, Silver
    India’s Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj ended his marketing campaign with a historic silver after happening combating towards high seed Lucas Mazur of France within the males’s singles SL4 class ultimate on the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday. The 38-year-old Noida district Justice of the Peace, who has an impairment in one in every of his ankles, led 11-10 on the decider, however simply couldn’t dial down the aggression, getting carried away within the massive factors. Lucas Mazur stored his calm and raced to win decider 21-15. The left-handed angles and end-game poise helped because the Frenchman claimed gold.
    Sunder Singh Gurjar with Devendra Jhajharia. (PCI)
    14. Sunder Singh Gurjar, Javelin Throw, Bronze
    Sundar Singh Gurjar additionally chipped in with a bronze, ending behind Jhajharia within the males’s javelin throw F46 ultimate. The 25-year-old Gurjar, who misplaced his left hand in 2015 after a metallic sheet fell on him at his good friend’s home, was third with a finest effort of 64.01m. The Jaipur-based Gurjar had received gold within the 2017 and 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. He had additionally received a silver within the 2018 Jakarta Para Asian Games. Earlier, discus thrower Kathuniya clinched a silver medal within the males’s F56 occasion.
    Sharad Kumar
    15. Sharad Kumar, High bounce, Bronze
    Sharad Kumar received bronze within the males’s excessive bounce ultimate on the National Stadium in Tokyo in Class T42. Sharad Kumar grabbed bronze after scaling his season finest mark of 1.83m. Muzaffarpur’s Sharad grew to become Bihar’s first-ever Paralympic medallist after he received a bronze medal within the F42 class of males’s excessive bounce within the Tokyo Para Games.
     
    Archer Harvinder Singh wins bronze medal in males’s particular person recurve occasion (Twitter/Department of Sports MYAS)
    16. Harvinder Singh, Archery, Bronze
    Harvinder Singh notched up India’s first ever archery medal within the Paralympics, holding his nerves to down Kim Min Su of Korea in an exhilarating shoot-off for the lads’s particular person recurve bronze within the Paralympic Games. World No.23 Singh was the primary athlete from India to win a gold medal at a significant para competitors within the 2018 Asian Games. An economics scholar from the Punjabi University, Patiala, Singh collected three shoot-off wins on the day beginning along with his triumphs within the opening rounds.
    Manoj Sarkar in motion.
    17. Manoj Sarkar, Badminton, Bronze
    Manoj Sarkar received the bronze medal after beating Daisuke Fujihara 22-20, 21-13 within the males’s singles SL3 occasion on the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday. The 31-year-old received in straight video games, sealing a 22-20 21-13 win on Saturday. Sarkar crashed to an 8-21 10-21 defeat within the semifinals towards Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell, however bounced again strongly to coast previous Fujihara. Sarkar received the primary sport in 22 minutes and the second in 19 minutes.

    4/4
    We thanks for the extraordinary Paralympics, which can go down in historical past as a catalyst & stepping stone for #NewIndia‘s Sporting Culture
    Take a have a look at #StaffIndia‘s achievement at #Paralympics
    The sporting occasion is over however let’s maintain the sporting festivities going. pic.twitter.com/OpgX1bHciY
    — SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 5, 2021

  • Why Ukraine’s small paralympic crew packs such a giant punch

    In American sports activities phrases, Ukraine’s Paralympians represent a small-market marvel, the Slavic equal of the Oakland Athletics. At the Tokyo Paralympics, which ended Sunday, the Ukrainians completed fifth within the general medal standings with 98, simply six fewer than the United States. Each of the highest 4 nations — China, Britain, Russia and the United States — had greater than 220 athletes in Tokyo; Ukraine introduced 139.
    “It’s a small country clearly punching above its weight,” stated Craig Spence, lead spokesperson for the International Paralympic Committee. The success has not been matched by Ukraine’s Olympians, who have been sixteenth within the Tokyo medal standings. They gained one gold medal, 4 fewer than Maksym Krypak, whose seven medals in swimming — 5 gold, one silver and one bronze — made him essentially the most embellished athlete of the Tokyo Paralympics.
    Ukraine has been one of many high six nations within the medal depend at 9 consecutive Paralympic Games, summer time and winter, regardless of persistently being ranked among the many poorest nations in Europe and cited by the United Nations as a troublesome house for individuals with disabilities. That athletic success has been just about uninterrupted lately, regardless of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which successfully reduce Ukraine’s Paralympic contenders off from their high-performance coaching middle on the Black Sea. Technically, Ukraine remained the proprietor of the middle, however Valerii Sushkevich, a longtime member of Parliament and president of the nation’s Paralympic committee, stated that utilizing it proved too difficult.
    A brand new middle with the requisite adaptive tools stays unfinished in Dnipro, a metropolis in a government-controlled a part of jap Ukraine. Sushkevich, 67, grew up underneath Soviet rule, utilizing a wheelchair and changing into a aggressive swimmer regardless of going through sturdy biases towards public shows by individuals with disabilities.
    “It was not so good for the picture of the Soviet Union,” Sushkevich stated by an interpreter, recalling that he was successfully informed, “You must be outside of this society.” The Soviets dedicated to excelling within the Olympics however despatched athletes to the Paralympics solely in 1988, the final cycle earlier than the nation dissolved in 1991.
    Ukraine made its first Paralympic look as an unbiased nation on the Atlanta Games in 1996, successful simply seven medals, equal to Krypak’s complete in Tokyo. But Sushkevich was constructing a program, Invasport, that might place sports activities facilities for disabled individuals in every of Ukraine’s two dozen oblasts, or administrative divisions, and in addition create sports-oriented faculties for kids.
    “Invasport combined a state system and a nongovernment system,” he stated, and it aimed to let individuals develop into energetic as a lot as to foster Paralympians. But there was a considerable incentive to construct an athletic profession. Without that, individuals with disabilities had few choices for making a dwelling.
    “Before sport, I had practically nothing. Actually, not practically; literally, I had nothing,” Lidiia Solovyova, a two-time Paralympic champion in powerlifting, informed the BBC in 2012. “I had no flat. I had no salary. I had no good pension. But now, thanks to sport, I have all these things.” Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office, confirmed that disabled individuals in Ukraine usually had very restricted prospects.

    “There is a concerning high degree of institutionalization of people with disabilities in Ukraine, rather than family- and community-based services being provided,” she wrote in an e mail, including, “Inclusive education for children with disabilities remains a rarity rather than the norm. This is the result of limited infrastructure and strong negative attitudes in society.”
    Oksana Boturchuk, a four-time Paralympic runner who gained three silver medals in Tokyo, stated she had develop into considerably extra recognizable in Ukraine after the discharge this yr of “Pulse,” a film about her life. “But in my country, the Paralympics sportsmen are not very popular,” she stated. “And everybody is surprised to know who I am. They say, ‘Oh, you are Paralympic silver medalist?’”
    This summer time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the nation’s Paralympic crew earlier than its journey to Tokyo and apologized “for the fact that no president was personally present at sending off our Paralympians to both Summer and Winter Games in all these years.” Two substantial adjustments arrived earlier than the Winter Paralympics in 2018: dwell telecasts of occasions and a rise in bonus cash to match what the Olympians obtained.
    Sushkevich stated the reward is about $125,000 for a gold medal, $80,000 for silver and $55,000 for bronze. Previously, he stated, the awards have been about $40,000 for gold, $26,000 for silver and $8,000 for bronze, or about what U.S. Olympians and Paralympians obtain now.

    This summer time’s outcomes, Sushkevich conceded, have been disappointing in contrast with the nation’s third-place end (behind China and Britain) within the 2016 medal depend, which included 41 golds versus 24 this yr. (The International Paralympic Committee formally ranks groups by gold medals, not the general complete.)The return of rivals from Russia, who have been barred in 2016 due to revelations a few state-sponsored doping program, all however assured a decrease rating for Ukraine this summer time. And Ukraine’s smaller delegation hardly ever contains aggressive entries in sports activities comparable to wheelchair basketball and rugby or goalball, sports activities wherein the United States accrues a whole lot of {hardware}.
    “A lot of people around me, they told us that we had a really good result in 2016 because we were higher than USA,” stated Maxym Nikolenko, a three-time Paralympian who gained a gold medal that yr and a silver and bronze in Tokyo. “I’m sorry,” he added sheepishly, “but they were really proud about that.”

  • Tokyo Paralympics: India’s large leap

    Sunil Nagar instructed his son Krishna that he may not have the ability to assist him develop tall, however he actually might study to leap as excessive as he wished. In that easy recommendation was born India’s sensational gold-plated bounce smash as Krishna Nagar grew to become a Paralympic champion on Sunday.
    Sunil instructed his older son to simply accept the very fact (“haqeeqat”) of his then 3-feet body. “Haqeeqat hai, toh baaki ladke bolenge. Isme naaraaz kya hona (It’s reality, so others will make comments about it. Why take offence)?” It wasn’t the softest cotton-wool {that a} guardian may wrap round an unsure little one grappling with a situation the place his peak refused to extend. But it ready the then 12-year-old for the bullying that had began from different boys.
    “It was normal for boys to tease. I understood their immaturity. But now look where I’ve reached,” says the 4’5” (137 cm) man from Jaipur, the champion in males’s SH-6 class after beating Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai 21-17, 16-21, 21-17.
    Krishna Nagar jumps in jubilation after successful gold on the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday. (AP)
    Sunil had seen his son’s hyperactive athleticism, regardless of being instructed on the age of one-and-a-half that the boy would face progress stagnancies, a medical situation he left for his personal father, a hospital nurse, to steer and information him round. “His body had smartness and he never tired unlike other children. Even the teasing after he entered high school would make him sad for a few hours and then he would resume playing sport,” the daddy remembers. The Nagar home (“He had a first-class lower-middle income upbringing”) noticed one nook piled up with footballs, cricket bats, leather-based balls, basketballs and volleyballs.
    “I did high jump, long jump, volleyball and still play basketball with my younger brother Raghav, who is 5’8” now. Competing in basketball with different boys (whom he calls “normal”), helped me develop my bounce to smash,” says Krishna.

    Sunil, who moved from Bharatpur to Jaipur to work as a naturopath, remembers how he ended up dropping his son at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Stadium day by day to coach in volleyball. “Rajasthan has a rich history in volleyball and basketball and he was 100/100 in every sport he played. I made Krishna play them all, to toughen him. He was a good libero but after a point, coaches couldn’t justify picking a short player. That was defying logic,” the daddy says of a curious determination to all the time throw him on the deep finish of unequal fields. By 2017, Krishna landed at SMS’ badminton courts below coach Yadwinder, who knowledgeable him of a aggressive class for short-statured gamers within the sport.
    Talent and obsession
    The uncooked materials for the bounce smash was ripe for honing. “I loved sport so much and played everything so much that I quit college. Teasing me was normal. I stopped thinking about it and it made me mentally strong. But I was so good at badminton that I was obsessed with speed and a tall jump to smash,” says Krishna, who would head to Gaurav Khanna’s academy in Lucknow forward of the Games.
    “His agility is astounding, but needed polishing in how he landed and leg strength – quadriceps, calf and ankle. And we worked on his court craft,” Khanna remembers, including that the copious pace and acrobatic assault wanted tempering. “He was 3-and-a-half feet then. Imagine playing badminton on a lawn tennis court. That’s what it’d feel like for him. I first worked on his muscle strengthening and then unleashed his strokes.”
    Krishna Nagar in motion at Tokyo Paralympics. (AP)
    But the aerial deception, the mounting forehand crosscourt bounce smash and backhand service had been brimming with expertise. “Sometimes he needed to slow down his explosive activities to cut down on errors. He was a negative player before (error-prone) when he increased his speed.” The coach would practice him to be discerning after which cost.
    He would additionally play a component in serving to different Tokyo medallists on the camp. “We put a black cloth on the net, and made him play from the other side, so opponents only saw the shuttle once it crossed the net,” Khanna remembers.
    On finals day in Tokyo, Krishna was targeted. “I had to win points anyway – running, diving, retrieving lying on the floor!” he says. He’d take the lead, however Chun Mai would degree within the second, stretching him on the forehand deep nook, drawing out errors from a wildly drifty aspect.
    Sunil says the one recommendation he ever gave his son was: “no aggression, or strokes get spoilt. Josh is dangerous.”
    It was managed acceleration on the internet and precision in his crosscourt smashes that might finally drown Chun Mai and ship him leaping into the coach because the shuttle drifted extensive. Krishna would patiently inform his colony associates from childhood who had been calling him that he’d return calls later. “I’ll go home after four months. I can eat anything, no fuss, as long as it’s tasty,” he would say amidst a clamour to speak to him.
    Sunil says there’s a precisely-tempered daal that Krishna likes. “Ghee, jeera, mirchi in the end. It has to be perfect. That’s the only celebration. Our time to celebrate our son has gone now. It’s a Paralympic gold. Now he belongs to the country,” says the daddy.
    Gold eludes Suhas, however contest transcends bodily boundaries
    Suhas Athiraj in motion throughout males’s singles SU4 gold medal badminton match on the Tokyo Paralympics. (AP)
    World Champion within the SL-4 class, Lucas Mazur of France, was tiring with every passing minute. And Suhas Yathiraj had constructed himself some good momentum within the Paralympics closing on Sunday. With his bustling recreation, and an extended jumper’s model of getting the motley crowd of Indian supporters to make a din, the 38-year-old Indian was marching in direction of the gold medal.
    Suhas had a 11-9 lead on the break within the decider, and a knackered opponent hobbling from exhaustion. But the Frenchman had been in large finals earlier than, and was utilizing his left hitting arm to work up incisive angles, whilst Suhas reckoned he might get to the end on adrenaline. Playing from the aspect from the place the drift was wreaking havoc, Suhas would wrestle to regulate the overshooting shuttle.
    And be left rueing the dearth of expertise and composure that might’ve taken him to the highest spot on the rostrum. The 21-15, 17-21, 15-21 scoreline might solely internet a silver.
    The crowd was riveted. The Frenchman was rattled sufficient by the unseeded Indian sporting a scarf and spectacles to begin orchestrating his personal supporters, who broke into football-like songs. Except, he stored one eye on setting up factors and never permitting himself to be swept by emotion. Suhas’ errors would pile up in a jiffy, as he wrongly reckoned that unfiltered assault was the best way to go.
    Mazur would inch again slowly, depend down the variety of factors wanted on his fingers, get the French curling their toes in nervousness and summon all his expertise to chomp into the Indian’s momentum. Suhas wanted to dial again a few of his aggressive intent and delay Mazur’s exhaustion to interrupt him. But buzzing and in a rush to complete, the Noida-based shuttler would falter.
    Suhas would later lament, “Most happy with the silver medal, but most disappointed because I missed gold by a whisker.”
    Then once more, for giant components of the face-off, each gamers had these watching hooked to the dramatic motion. The rivalry had an edge that may nicely prolong to the Paris Paralympics in 2024. Briefly, the depth of the match made one neglect {that a} pair of limb impairments had been battling it on the market. The contest transcended the para barrier.

  • Behind Paralympics glitter: Govt push, pvt effort, higher coaching

    FOR INDIA, just like the Olympics final month, the Tokyo Paralympics ended with a gold medal that added glitter to its best-ever exhibiting. On Sunday, shuttler Krishna Nagar did a Neeraj Chopra, together with his win within the last giving India its fifth gold medal. And with 19 medals total, India completed twenty fourth on the medals tally.
    India’s rely was boosted by the four-medal sweep in badminton, a sport making its debut, and 4 extra in new classes in different disciplines. However, there’s extra to the para-leap of a nation that had a grand complete of simply 12 medals earlier than Tokyo: a more durable push by the federal government, well timed hand-holding by non-public gamers, mushrooming of unique arenas and incentives, and most importantly, a stage taking part in subject for para and able-bodied athletes.
    Javelin thrower Sumit Antil, 23, who broke three world information on method to gold, hints that his coaching and publicity wasn’t too completely different from Indian sports activities’ new poster-boy Neeraj.
    “In 2018, some para athletes also got a chance to train in Finland with other athletes like Neeraj Chopra and that was a huge mental motivation for us. We knew that we were being treated the same as the able-bodied athletes. I got a chance to compete in Italy, France, Tunisia in the last three years and it also made me understand the different conditions, a thing which will also help in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he says.
    Antil acquired a Rs 7 lakh prosthetic blade, tools and biomechanics help, due to the Sports Authority of India and NGO Go Sports Foundation.
    Says silver medallist discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya: “Apart from facilities, governments now see para-athletes’ achievements the same way as normal athletes in terms of cash awards and jobs. This has added to our confidence.” Like Chopra, Antil acquired Rs 6 crore from the Haryana authorities for his javelin gold.
    Besides, the complete 54-member Indian contingent — the biggest ever on the Paralympics — was part of the Central Government’s flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The Government spent virtually Rs 8.2 crore on para-sports from 2018-19 to 2021-22, the Sports Minister informed Lok Sabha this yr.
    Besides, the spending was athlete-specific and got here on the proper time.
    The Sports Ministry funded the set up of a computerised digital goal at gold and bronze medal-winning shooter Avani Lekhara’s residence, aside from caring for the heavy prices of her air rifle, ammunition and equipment. Under TOPS, wheelchair silver medallist Bhavina Patel acquired an up to date “practice partner” robotic that helped her through the lockdown final yr.
    The outcomes had been there to see. Patel made it to the rostrum in a sport lengthy dominated by the Chinese, beating World No 3 Zhang Miao to win silver within the girls’s Class 4 (wheelchair) singles occasion.
    “So many people get scared when the opponent is Chinese. By beating them, I proved that they too are human,” she says after turning into the one Indian desk tennis participant to have received an Olympic or Paralympic medal.
    Public-private partnerships, too, performed a job. Working with para-athletes since 2008, GoSports Foundation was affiliated with 11 of the 19 para-athletes for Rio 2016, and continued its work forward of the Tokyo Games, when the Sports Ministry acquired in contact.
    “They’d call and ask us what all we’ve done for a particular athlete so that there is no duplication,” says GoSports’ government director Deepthi Bopaiah. “So, for Avani, the Government looked after certain training and competitions abroad, and we paid for her coaching here. For Sumit Antil, we looked after his prosthetics and they took care of his travel to tournaments.”
    This time, one other non-public initiative, Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), acquired concerned in supporting para-athletes — 10 of whom picked up medals.
    And then, coaching acquired extra streamlined. “Earlier, we had to book time slots to play, but now we have a dedicated professional academy with all facilities and sports science equipment,” says para-badminton head coach Gaurav Khanna about his facility in Lucknow. “We can decide when to schedule practice. And then there is the gym, steam bath, ice bath, hydrotherapy…everything a professional athlete needs.”
    Facilities just like the SAI campus in Gandhinagar and the desk tennis centre in Indore too are geared up for para-athletes with teaching strategies having modified through the years.
    The opening of extra avenues and elevated incentives have seen participation spike. There had been round 700 para-athletics on the nationals in 2015, and 1,800 in 2019.
    Says desk tennis star Patel: “Earlier, people didn’t know what the Paralympics were. It’s improved, but it’s not enough. There are still places where people think, ‘yeh bechare hai.’ That has to change. Hum bechare nahin hai (We are not helpless). Look at what we’ve achieved. Our Paralympians have brought more medals than Olympians. And there’s more we can still achieve.”

    Incidentally, India completed forty eighth on the medals tally within the Tokyo Olympics, with a best-ever haul of seven, together with Chopra’s gold.
    Says three-time Paralympics medallist Devendra Jhajharia: “We still can improve as medals have only come in athletics, shooting, badminton and table tennis but Tokyo has set the momentum for us.”

  • ‘Just want to live in this moment’: Krishna Nagar after successful Paralympic gold

    Indian badminton participant Krishna Nagar on Sunday mentioned Sunday’s gold medal on the Paralympics was nothing in need of a blessing as he was over the moon for simply with the ability to compete within the Games.
    Nagar defeated Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai 21-17 16-21 21-17 within the males’s singles SH6 class closing to assert the second gold medal in badminton after Pramod Bhagat. Nagar’s incapacity classification if for gamers of quick stature.

    ANOTHER #GOLD FOR #IND 🤯
    Krishna Nagar wins the two⃣nd #ParaBadminton gold for 🇮🇳, as he wins 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 in opposition to #HKG‘s Chu Man Kai in the Men’s Singles SH6 closing. 🥇
    What an occasion its been for the nation. 😍#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics @Krishnanagar99 pic.twitter.com/qYNmGelP4e
    — #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) September 5, 2021

    This Heartwarming Moment Happened When India’s #KrishnaNagar Won #Gold at #TokyoParalympics ❤
    VC: @ddsportschannel pic.twitter.com/DqFoIlIsbu
    — The Better India (@thebetterindia) September 5, 2021
    “Olympics or Paralympic medal is a huge thing. We committed that we will win 5-6 medals and we have won 4 medals. One or two performances was little up and down but we will improve on that front in upcoming events,” the 22-year-old mentioned. “Competing is a big achievement in Paralympics and we won a medal in the first edition itself. We are blessed, it is a great achievement.”
    Talking concerning the match, Nagar mentioned: “My mindset was that I have to be positive… I didn’t make many errors during the match but in the second game, when there were some negatives, I was under pressure when things got away a bit. “For drift, I lost the second game, I was not able to play to my strength. But in the third game, there were ups and downs but I managed it well in the end.”
    Asked about his future plans, Suhas mentioned: “I just want to live this moment and don’t want to think about anything. It is a rare moment to get a Paralympic medal and I truly believe if the universe has given me so much, rest will also be good.”

    Krishna had earlier mentioned he desires to convey smiles to his countrymen by successful a medal at Paralympics.
    Asked if he desires to dedicate it to the COVID19 warriors, Krishna mentioned: “During COVID, the medical doctors, volunteers and all others have labored relentlessly for us within the final 2 years, saving us from COVID.
    “They have supported us so much in 2020. All over the world, doctors have shown us how to be alert.”

  • Manish Narwal, 19, leads India’s 1-2 in taking pictures; Singhraj Adhana provides silver to kitty

    Nineteen-year-old Manish Narwal overcame the frustration of a seventh-place end within the males’s 10m air pistol earlier this week to win gold within the 50 metre occasion on the Asaka Shooting Range.
    Narwal, making his Paralympics debut, broke the world file to clinch India’s third gold within the ongoing Games, whereas Singhraj Adhana bagged the silver to make it a one-two end. Narwal shot a complete of 218.2 within the 50m Pistol (SH1) occasion.
    This was 39-year-old Adhana’s second medal following the bronze within the males’s 10m Air Pistol (SH1) occasion on Tuesday.
    For the youthful of the 2 shooters, a pep speak along with his coach helped him bounce again after ending exterior the medal positions earlier. Narwal spoke to his coach Rakesh Singh from Tokyo. Singh gave him worthwhile recommendation, which was to focus much less on the sights (gadgets used to align eyes with the goal) and to get again to fundamentals or taking pictures with the pure really feel.
    “When Manish did not win a medal in the 10m Air Pistol after topping the qualification, he was a little disappointed. When we discussed, he told me that he had been concentrating more on his sights. I told him not to over-think. His biggest strength has been his self confidence and that’s what he displayed today,” coach Singh mentioned.
    A local of Ballabgarh close to Faridabad in Haryana, Narwal suffered impairment in his proper arm since delivery due to nerve harm. His father Dilbaug Narwal blames the medical employees. However, regardless of many visits to docs there was hardly any enchancment within the mobility of his proper arm, which Manish can not elevate.
    “It was a mistake of the medical staff which resulted in the nerve damage of Manish’s shoulder. It resulted in no movement in his arm,” Dilbaugh, who runs a machine fabrication unit, says.
    The household backed Narwal’s alternative of sport and he joined the 10X Shooting Academy at Ballabgarh, which is run by coach Singh. The early problem for the coach was to discover a pistol with a grip fitted to a left-handed shooter. Manish would win a silver competing with the right-handed grip pistol in his first Para Nationals in 2015.
    Three years later, Manish would turn into the 10m Air Pistol champion other than successful a silver medal in 50m Pistol occasion in Para Asian Games in Indonesia.
    He went on to turn into the 10m Air Pistol world champion. “Since he can only shoot with his left hand, we struggled initially to get a left-handed grip pistol for him. But he adjusted well to the right-handed grip. When he won a silver medal in Para Nationals, I knew this boy is a special talent,” the coach recollects.

    Smart transfer
    In a sensible transfer, the coach additionally made him compete towards able-bodied shooters within the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) tournaments to get publicity. That manner Manish may compete in at the least 10 tournaments a 12 months.
    “He also made it to the Indian squad in 2018 and participated with some of the best shooters in the country. With more accuracy, he would shoot in the range of 580 in the 10m Air Pistol and it also helped him gain confidence in 50m Pistol events,” says Singh.
    On Saturday, Narwal shot a qualification rating of 533 to qualify within the seventh spot with compatriot Adhana taking pictures a rating of 536 to be positioned fourth in 50m pistol qualification.
    In the ultimate, Narwal made a shaky begin with a rating of 87.2 within the first competitors stage, with Singh taking pictures 92.1. In the elimination stage, Narwal stored his cool and shot a Paralympic file rating of 218.2 factors within the ultimate to edge Adhana for the silver medal.

    Adhana’s ultimate rating of 216.7 meant that the 39-year-old Haryana shooter grew to become solely the third Indian after athlete Joginder Singh Sodhi and shooter Avani Lekhara to have gained at the least two medals on the identical Paralympics.
    Adhana’s coach Om Prakash spoke about how the ten metre occasion and the 50 metre one have completely different challenges.
    “50m pistol is almost completely different from a 10m air pistol with regard to the bullet and the jerk of the pistol. Apart from that, one has to adjust to wind, sunlight, rain or other outdoor conditions. Along with 10m practice, we would make Singhraj shoot with a 50m pistol at different times of the day and even in the rain to practice. The extra hours of practice did have an effect on his body but he was able to cope,” Om Prakash says.

  • Paralympics: 19-year-old Manish Narwal wins gold, Singhraj Adana baggage silver in para capturing

    Indian para-athletes proceed to impress on the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics as Indians gained two extra medals on Saturday. 19-year-old shooter Manish Narwal gained gold in Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 occasion and Singhraj Singh gained silver.
    This is India’s third gold on the ongoing Paralympics. The 19-year-old Narwal shot a complete of 218.2, a Paralympic report, to assert the yellow metallic whereas Adana, who had gained the bronze within the P1 males’s 10m air pistol SH1 occasion on Tuesday, added a silver to his kitty with an effort of 216.7.
    Russian Olympic Committee’s Sergey Malyshev took house the bronze with an effort of 196.8.
    Earlier within the qualifying spherical, Adana progressed to the medal spherical in fourth place with a complete of 536 whereas Narwal shot 533 to qualify at seventh on the Asaka Shooting Range.
    The different Indian within the fray, Akash didn’t make the ultimate, ending twenty seventh within the qualifying spherical.

    As the pistol is held with one hand solely, athletes in SH1 class have an impairment affecting one arm and/or the legs, for instance ensuing from amputations or spinal wire accidents. P4 is a classification for the blended 50m air pistol competitors.
    Some shooters compete in a seated place, whereas others take purpose in a standing place as outlined within the guidelines.
    With PTI inputs

  • Praveen Kumar clinches silver in males’s T64 excessive leap in Paralympics

    India’s Praveen Kumar clinched the silver medal within the males’s excessive leap T64 occasion of the Paralympics, taking the nation’s haul to 11 within the ongoing Games right here.
    The 18-year-old Kumar, competing in his debut Paralympics, set a brand new Asian report with a 2.07m leap to complete behind Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards, who notched up his season’s finest of two.10m for the gold.
    The bronze went to Rio Games champion Maciej Lepiato of Poland who produced an effort of two.04m.
    T64 classification is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing place.

    🇮🇳🥈SILVER FOR INDIA! #PraveenKumar wins the 🥈 within the Men’s High Jump T64 last with a leap of two.07 m, creating a brand new Asian Record.
    This is India’s 1️⃣1️⃣th medal on the Tokyo #Paralympics#Praise4Para #IND #Cheer4India #GroupIndia #Tokyo2020 #mariyappan #sportwalk pic.twitter.com/Wru8LgqWl9
    — Sportwalk Bytes IN 🇮🇳 (@SportwalkIndia) September 3, 2021
    T44, the incapacity classification that Kumar has however is eligible to compete in T64, is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg size distinction, impaired muscle energy or impaired passive vary of motion within the legs.

    His impairment, which is congenital, impacts the bones that join his hip to his left leg.

    Congratulations to Praveen Kumar on successful the silver medal within the Men’s High Jump T64 last with a leap of two.07 m, creating a brand new Asian Record.This is India’s eleventh medal on the #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics#Praise4Para #Cheer4India #GroupIndia pic.twitter.com/f6IzoWAgOR
    — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 3, 2021
    The ongoing Games are turning out to be India’s finest ever and the nation has thus far claimed two gold, six silver and three bronze medals.

  • In first for India, Bhavina Patel smashes method into Paralympics TT last

    Afflicted with polio as a toddler and utilizing crutches ever since, Bhavina Patel, after her education in Sundhiya, a village of 15,000 in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, moved to Ahmedabad to pursue an ITI laptop science course. There she would get hooked to desk tennis, however the pursuit of her new-found ardour wasn’t simple. Just to achieve the venue, Bhavina would want to alter two buses, get into a few shared auto-rickshaws and canopy the final mile dodging Ahmedabad’s infamous visitors whereas on her crutches. Once shortly she would have for firm a one-time state-level under-19 cricketer — her dependable good friend then and a supportive husband now.
    On Saturday, Nikul Patel, 36, had causes to revisit these days. He says it was his spouse’s drive to face on her toes and leap over obstacles that made her the primary Indian to enter the desk tennis Paralympics last.
    Thirty-four-year-old Bhavina, on wheelchair, beat World No. 3 China’s Miao Zhang at Tokyo to guarantee India a historic silver medal and an excellent shot on the gold Sunday.
    Nikul says Bhavina, from an early age, wished to do all of it. She strived to be impartial and had tutorial objectives. “She is a Central government employee with the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation and is very diligent in whatever she does. It was the same with table tennis. Ask anyone who is familiar with Ahmedabad, they will tell you how difficult it must have been for her to practise table tennis. From Bapunagar where she lived, she would go to Naroda Patiya, then to Juna Vadaj, Ghatlodia and finally to the Vastrapur Blind Association,” he says whereas breathlessly drawing the image of his spouse’s Old to New City each day route, which again within the day would have been largely purple on Google Maps.
    Bhavina has moved from shared autos to plane, however journey stays in depth and arduous. “We have travelled to about 25-30 countries. At times, she travels on her own. Europe is very convenient for especially abled people but it’s not the same everywhere,” says the cricketer-turned-import-export businessman.
    He remembers Bhavina’s traumatic expertise at an occasion in China. “It was very cold there and she had very high fever. She had to manoeuvre her wheelchair in snow for close to a kilometre and a half,” says Nikul, who gave up on his cricket profession annoyed by lack of possibilities and the duty of working the household enterprise.
    Before the Paralympics, with the pandemic peaking in Europe, the 2 have been collectively in Spain for a match that was very important for Bhavina’s qualification for Tokyo. Having missed the Rio Paralympics by a whisker due to lack of factors, the 2 had determined that they couldn’t take any possibilities. Both sat and deliberate their schedule completely.
    “We knew how many points we needed to gather at what tournaments we needed to play. We didn’t want to take any chances. We wanted the IOC’s invitation letter which said we had made it for Tokyo. Spain was a risk but we said whatever happens we will see. The Corona fear was there but we took our chance,” he says.

    With solely partial funding, the Patels should frequently dig deep of their financial institution accounts to fund their journeys. There can also be the price of the costly rubbers and ply. “On an average, we end up spending close to Rs 12 to 13 lakhs annually. People think table tennis is cheap. But a quality bat can cost close to Rs 70,000,” he says.
    The cricketer, who was shortlisted for the India staff for the 2002 under-19 cricket World Cup, is nicely conscious that to be among the many finest nothing may be left to probability. Nikul says that their two-storeyed residence has full wheel-chair entry and one of many 4 rooms has a TT desk.
    “So for six months during the pandemic, Bhavina trained at home. After a point, we would ask the coach and other wheelchair players to come home and play against her,” he says. With one-fourth of the Patel family occupied by TT, there are days when there are house constraints. “When we have guests at home, we fold the table and sleep on the floor. Ours isn’t a very big house but TT has been allocated enough space.”
    Bhavina, in addition to desk tennis, is an ardent music lover and reputed prepare dinner. “If you have the bhajiyas she fries, you wouldn’t like it anywhere else,” chuckles Nikul to make some extent.

    The chat is minimize brief by a refrain of phone rings within the background. Nikul places one cellphone on maintain and may be heard telling the caller that Bhavina can’t be linked to the information channel studio as she hadn’t slept. He comes on the road once more to tell that native channels have reached Bhavina’s village.
    “This is what a medal does. Before that, even if a Paralympian was living two houses away you wouldn’t be aware. But our Subh Laabh Society is different. They all came to say goodbye to her and wish her luck.” As he speaks, the phone refrain within the background picks up once more. The fame of India’s first ever desk tennis Paralympics medallist has gone past the 2 homes.

  • Rakesh Kumar sails into pre-quarters, Shyam Sundar Swami exits

    Rakesh Kumar continued his spectacular run of kind to storm into the pre-quarterfinals whereas his teammate Shyam Sundar Swami made a second spherical exit as Indian compound archers had a combined day on the Paralympic Games right here on Saturday.
    A day after he shot the very best rating — 699 out of a most 720 — by an Indian para archer within the qualification spherical, the wheelchair-bound 36-year-old Kumar simply overcame Ka Chuen Ngai of Hong Kong by a large 13-point margin on the Yumenoshima Park right here.
    Kumar, who received a person gold medal on the seventh Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament in Dubai earlier this yr, had close to good 4 ends, dropping only one level every enroute to totalling 144 out of a attainable 150.
    Overall, he shot 9 good 10s together with 4 closest to the centre (X), as his Hong Kong rival paled as compared capturing 4 10s (three Xs) for a complete of 131.
    Rakesh Kumar (centre) completed third in archery rating at Tokyo Paralympics (Source: SAI)
    In the last-16 spherical on Tuesday, the third seeded Kumar will face 14th seed Marian Marecak, a two-time 49-year-old Olympian from Slovakia.

    Earlier, twenty first seed Sundar, who additionally received a bye into the second spherical, had a slender 139-142 defeat towards 2012 Paralympics silver medallist Matt Stutzman, the armless archer from the USA who shoots along with his toes.
    From being 55-all on the midway mark, Stutzman took a 3 level lead with an ideal 30/30 fourth finish and sealed the the fixture by three factors, regardless of some late problem by the Indian.