India’s journey at the Paralympics stands proud by clinching six new medals. Day 6 saw another gold being added to the list by Nitesh Kumar in men’s singles under the SL3 category.
The Indian contingent won three silvers today with Yogesh Kathuniya in the men's discus throw F-56 event, following Nishad Kumar’s silver in the men's T47 high jump, and Thulasimathi Murugesan won silver in women’s singles badminton match against China's defending champion Yang Qiuxia in the final.
In the bronze list, Preethi Pal became the first Indian woman in track and field athletics to grab two bronze medals in a single edition. Manisha Ramadass clinched bronze medal in women’s singles against Denmark's Cathrine Rosengren.
Let’s take a broader look at the wins so far:
Top-seeded Indian shuttler Nitesh Kumar clinched the gold medal in the summit clash against Great Britain's Daniel Bethell. The 29-year-old Nitesh, who overcame permanent leg damage from a 2009 accident, showed his dominance with a 21-14 19-21 23-21 win over Bethell.
The IIT Mandi graduate thus, ensured that India returned with a medal from the SL3 category after Pramod Bhagat clinched gold when para-badminton made its debut three years ago in Tokyo.
SL3 class players compete with more severe lower limb disabilities, requiring play on a half-width court. Bethell, who was the runner-up to Pramod Bhagat in the Tokyo Paralympics, is a formidable opponent, setting the stage for an electrifying final on Monday.
"I still don't feel it. Maybe when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in," Nitesh said after the match.
Silver Medals:
India's Yogesh Kathuniya clinched his second consecutive Paralympic silver medal in the men's discus throw F-56 event with a season's best effort of 42.22m at the ongoing Games on Monday.
The 27-year-old threw the discus to the podium-clinching distance in his very first attempt to add to the silver he won in the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.
Brazil's Claudiney Batista dos Santos registered a hat-trick of Paralympic gold medals, creating a new Games record with an effort of 46.86m in his fifth attempt. Greece's Konstantinos Tzounis won the bronze with 41.32m.
The F-56 classification covers limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power and impaired range of movement.
At the age of 9, Kathuniya developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition which causes numbness, tingling and muscle weakness that can progress to paralysis.
India's Nishad Kumar also secured a silver medal in the men's T47 high jump final at the Paris Paralympics on September 2, recording his season-best jump of 2.04 meters.
Townsend-Roberts of the United States won the gold medal with a season-best jump of 2.08 meters, narrowly edging out Kumar. Russia's Georgii Margiev claimed the bronze medal in the event. Kumar had previously won a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Thulasimathi Murugesan, 22-year-old, the number one seed, put up a fight before going down 17-21 10-21 against China's defending champion Yang Qiuxia in the final.
The SU5 category is for athletes with impairment on the upper limbs, which could be in any hand.
Three Bronze medals, two by Preethi and one by Manisha:
Preethi Pal became the first Indian woman to grab two bronze medals in women’s track and field athletics. The 23-year-old Preethi, a farmer’s daughter from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, bagged a bronze in the 200m T35 category with a personal best time of 30.01 seconds.
She also won a bronze in the 100m T35 category on Friday. She faced significant physical challenges when she was born as her lower body was plastered for six days after birth.
Weak legs and an irregular leg posture made her prone to various diseases. Preethi also became only the second Indian woman to win two medals — both bronze — in a single Paralympics after shooter Avani Lekhara who won a gold and a bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.
Manisha Ramadass, second seed, playing at the adjacent court, outplayed Denmark's Cathrine Rosengren, seeded third, 21-12 21-8 to claim the bronze medal.
The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb's palsy had affected her right arm. Erb's palsy is a nerve disorder in the shoulder and arm that results in weakness or loss of muscle function.
Follow us
