Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated India’s Deaflympians for their stellar showing at the 25th Summer Deaflympics 2025 in Tokyo, where the contingent finished sixth with a record haul of 20 medals. In a message posted on social media, the Prime Minister said the athletes had once again demonstrated that “determination and dedication can lead to outstanding results”.
He noted that the return of nine gold, seven silver and four bronze medals reflected the depth of talent in India’s deaf sporting community and praised the athletes, coaches and support staff. “The entire nation is proud of them,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended his congratulations, describing the performance as “a stellar display of sporting talent”. “Heartfelt congratulations to the Indian team at the 25th Summer Deaflympics 2025 in Tokyo on their phenomenal feat of winning 20 medals, including 9 golds, 7 silvers, and 4 bronzes. Your staggering success ignites new energy of enthusiasm among our players. My best wishes for your future endeavours,” he said in a post on X.
India sent a 73-member squad, 45 men and 28 women, who competed across 11 disciplines at the Games held between November 15 and 26. The 2025 edition marked 101 years since the inaugural Deaflympics in Paris in 1924.
Also read: Dhanush wins Deaflympics air rifle gold, Murtaza takes silver
Golfer Diksha Dagar successfully defended her women’s title, finishing a commanding 14 shots clear of the field. Shooting once again proved India’s strongest discipline, contributing 16 of the 20 medals and yielding several record-breaking performances.
Dhanush Srikanth retained his 10m air rifle crown with a new world record score of 252.2, while Mohammad Vania secured silver in the same event. Minutes later, Mahit Sandhu and Komal Waghmare added silver and bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle competition.
Sandhu emerged as India’s standout shooter with four medals, two gold and two silver. Anuya Prasad set a new world record in the women’s 10m air pistol event. In the 25m pistol category, Abhinav Deshwal clinched gold in the men’s event and equalled both the world and Deaflympic qualification records, while Pranjali Dhumal matched the respective records in the women’s qualification.
India also secured its first-ever Deaflympics medal in karate through Loma Swain.
With 20 medals, India surpassed its previous best showing at Caxias do Sul in 2022, when the squad returned with 16 medals. The 2025 performance, driven largely by the shooting contingent, is being hailed as a watershed moment for India’s Deaf sports ecosystem.
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