The inspiring, incredible stories behind India's Paralympic medallists
Overcoming intense physical challenges, these athletes have shown remarkable resilience both on and off the field, bringing India a historic medal tally at the Paris Paralympics 2024
Avani Lekhara - Women"s 10m air rifle standing SH1 &ndash Gold
Shooter Avani Lekhara, who was paralysed from the waist down in a terrible car accident when she was 11 years old, made history at the Paris Paralympics. She is the first Indian woman to win two gold Paralympic medals.
&ldquoThe accident happened in February 2012, and my whole family was there. It was like a nightmare coming
Image by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
2/11
Mona Agarwal - Women"s 10m air rifle standing SH1 (Shooting) &ndash Bronze
A mother of two, 37-year-old Mona Agarwal made her Paralympics debut in Paris this year&mdashand snagged a bronze medal.
Despite battling polio from the beginning, Agarwal always wanted to be an athlete&mdasheven in the face of critics, and a society that would make fun of her. The daughter of a hardware store ow
Image by Andy Lyons/Getty Image
3/11
Preethi Pal - Women"s 100m and 200m T35 (Athletics) &ndash Bronze
Preethi Pal became the first-ever Indian track and field athlete to win two medals at the Paris Paralympics&mdashone bronze each at the T35 100m and T35 200m competitions.
Thus far, Indian had won all its athletic medals since the 1984 Paralympics had come from field events.
Pal was born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and has
Image by Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages
4/11
Manish Narwal - Men"s 10m air pistol SH1 (Shooting) &ndash Silver
Para-shooter Manish Narwal scored India&rsquos fourth medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, a silver, to follow his gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Narwal has a congenital impairment in his right hand.
The 22-year-old had a significant lead at the start, before he seemed to lose his stronghold and shot a series of poor
Image by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
5/11
Rubina Francis - Women"s 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Shooting) - Bronze
Hailing from Jabalpur, 25-year-old Rubina Francis was born with a condition called talipes, commonly known as clubfoot. This birth defect causes a person&rsquos foot to turn inward, rendering them unable to stand steady.
Francis, unfortunately, couldn&rsquot gain her balance to shoot while standing or sitting, until her coa
Image by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
6/11
Nishad Kumar - Men"s high jump T47 (Athletics) &ndash Silver
Nishad Kumar lost his right hand in a childhood farm accident. With determination and hard work, he racked up a silver medal for India at the Paris Paralympics, in the men&rsquos T47 high jump event.
Kumar&rsquos mother was a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower, and always told Kumar that he was no different from
Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
7/11
Yogesh Kathuniya - Men"s discus throw F56 (Athletics) - Silver
Discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya clinched a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics, his fifth second-place finish since the Tokyo Games held in 2021.
This win comes despite Kathuniya suffering a bout of chicken pox last year, followed by a diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy, which affects the C4, C5 and C6 vertebrae.
Kathuni
Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
8/11
Nitesh Kumar - Men"s singles SL3 (Badminton) - Gold
A train accident left Nitesh Kumar bed-ridden in 2009, when he had to have his left leg amputated. Even so, Kumar worked hard to fulfil a dream&mdashto attend an IIT. He cleared the IIT entrance exam, and it was on campus at IIT-Mandi that he fell in love with badminton.
Kumar defeated his English opponent in a thrilling final to clinc
Image by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
9/11
Thulasimathi Murugesan - Women"s singles SU5 (Badminton) &ndash Silver
Born with a congenital deformity in her left hand, Thulasimathi Murugesan lost her thumb at a young age. A dangerous accident at age 22 exacerbated the situation, affecting her left hand&rsquos mobility largely. However, Murugesan&rsquos father, a sports enthusiast, encouraged her to pursue badminton since she was a c
Image by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
10/11
Manisha Ramadass - Women"s singles SUS (Badminton) - Bronze
Manisha Ramadass, a shuttler from Tamil Nadu, was born with a nerve condition called Erb&rsquos palsy affecting her right arm.
The 19-year-old tried her hand at para-badminton following a friend&rsquos recommendation, and made her international badminton debut in 2022. In the same year, she took home 11 gold and 5 bronze champi
