Forbes India 30 Under 30 2025 - Preethi Pal: Creating history on the track

Pal, a para-athlete made history when she debuted at Stade de France in Paris last year, clinching two bronze medals--in women's 100-metre and 200 metre T35 sprint events

By Rucha Sharma Forbes India Staff

Published: Feb 28, 2025 10:59:35 AM IST

Updated: Feb 28, 2025 11:30:19 AM IST

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Preethi Pal, Para athlete
Image: Madhu Kapparath; Directed By: Kapil Kashyap; Jewels: Kalakosh Jewellery Preethi Pal, Para athlete Image: Madhu Kapparath; Directed By: Kapil Kashyap; Jewels: Kalakosh Jewellery

Preethi Pal created history when she made her Paralympics debut at Stade de France in Paris last year. The para athlete from Hashimpur village in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, won two bronze medals—in the women’s 100-metre and 200-metre T35 (the category is for runners with coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis) sprint events. Pal became the first Indian woman to win a medal in track events at the Paralympics or Olympics.

A mere 10 minutes before the event, the 24-year-old was focussed on calming her nerves in the cold room. “It is a matter of just 10 minutes when we step out of the cold room, reach our marks, take positions, and the gun goes off. We (athletes) either win or lose, but our lives change forever,” she says. Pal’s legs were shaking, and she was worried about making a mistake before the gun went off that would ruin her entire race.

But as she stepped on the track, the noise of the crowd calmed every doubt in her mind. Her focus was automatically pinned on hearing the sound of the gun going off. Her coach’s words echoed in her mind: “You just have to repeat what you have done in training, nothing extra. That medal is yours; you just have to grab it.” When she completed the race for the third position on the podium, the ‘India, India’ chants validated that she had done everything right.

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Young Pal discovered that she only needed her toes to run even if she couldn’t walk properly. At 17, she found reels made by blade runners while scrolling on social media. That and meeting para athlete Fatima Khatoon inspired her to take up running. She had complete support from her family, which shut out the naysayers from the day Pal was born. However, the poor farmer’s family could only do so much, especially regarding her diet. Her intake was limited to rotis, and when she could buy a glass of juice, it was the best possible nourishment at the time.

It wasn’t until she convinced her current coach, Naik Gajendra Singh of 227 company of the Indian Army’s Army Service Corps, that she fully understood what goes into preparing to compete at international events. Singh had one condition: He would drop her if she said no to training even once. Working with Singh meant moving to New Delhi, training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, sticking to a protein diet and changing running techniques to match international standards.

With the help of the Khelo India initiative and later support from the Olympic Gold Quest, Pal is now a transformed para athlete. She is gearing up for the World Championship in New Delhi in September. But Singh says, “We are not focussed on changing the colour of the medal. We are focussed on improving her timing. We compete with ourselves, personal best karna hai, bas (improving the personal best time is more important). Our 100 percent goes into giving India our best.”

Two bronze medals at the World Championships, two at the Paralympics, and an Arjuna Award are just a few achievements that Pal was able to unlock this year. Now, she only wants fans to appreciate para games as much as they admire other sports. “People tuned to Jio Cinema to watch the Olympics, but the Paralympics still did not receive good viewership. I want the media to tell people about us so that more athletes emerge in para sports,” she says. “Para athletes receive support when they participate in international events. I want everyone to support them when they are at the grassroots.”

“Even if two out of hundreds of girls are inspired by what Pal has achieved, and they do something for the country, that would be our ultimate validation,” says Singh.

Preethi Pal (24)

Para athlete

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