Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday complimented the medalists of the Paralympic Games by saying their determined efforts brought glory to the country.
Over a telephonic call, PM contacted one or more Paris Paralympics medalists: Mona Agarwal, Preethi Pal, Manish Narwal, and Rubina Francis.
PM Modi congratulated each athlete, saying that their stellar performance has made the country proud.
Avani Lekhara earned herself a part of history, becoming the first Indian to win two successive gold medals in consecutive Paralympic appearances: the women's 10m air rifle (SH1) event. The 22-year-old para-athlete improved her score from the Tokyo Games to 249.7 points, ahead of her previous score of 249.6. This was also another stunning feat, making her the only Indian woman with two Paralympic gold medals.
While Mona Agarwal, who made her Paralympics debut, won a bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event by finishing third with 228.7 points, Preethi Pal secured a bronze medal after finishing third in position in the women's 100m race with 14.21 seconds-a personal best by her.
While Manish Narwal won the silver medal in the Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1 event, shooter Rubina Francis won another bronze for India in the Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 event.
The 22-year-old had earlier won gold in the Mixed 50m Pistol event during the Tokyo Paralympics.
PM Modi also extended his best wishes to Avani Lekhara, who could not connect on the call since she was engaged in continued competition at the Paralympics.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Indian Contingent for Paris Paralympics 2024 is historic in number as 84 para-athletes are competing in multiple disciplines.
Tokyo Paralympics 2021 was India's most successful campaign of all time as their total medal count came to a close at 19. The para-athletes have been competing in 12 disciplines this year-three more than the previous edition-including nine that India has representation in with 54 athletes.
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