Indian para-archers Harvinder Singh and Pooja Jatyan advanced to the quarterfinals of the Mixed Team Recurve Open at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Thursday. The Indian duo defeated Amanda Jennings and Taymon Kenton-Smith of Australia 5-4. They will face either the hosts, France, or Poland in the last eight.
Harvinder Singh’s Historic Achievement
Earlier on Wednesday, Harvinder Singh secured a historic gold medal, becoming the first-ever Indian to win a medal in recurve para-archery at both the Olympics and Paralympics. In the gold medal match, Harvinder triumphed with a 6-0 victory over Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek. He also won a bronze medal in recurve para-archery at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
India’s Performance in Archery
Harvinder’s success marked India’s second medal in archery at the ongoing Paris Paralympics. The Indian archery pair of Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi clinched the bronze medal in the Mixed Team Compound event.
Pooja Jatyan’s Quarterfinal Loss
In a separate event, Pooja Jatyan lost 4-6 against China’s Wu Chunyan in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Individual Recurve Open. Despite her valiant effort, Pooja was eliminated on Tuesday.
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Sachin Khilari’s Silver Medal
Para-athlete Sachin Khilari secured the silver medal in the men’s shot put F46 final with a throw of 16.32 meters, which is also an area best (AB). Unfortunately, Sachin fell short of the top spot by 0.6 meters.
Indian Contingent’s Medal Tally
On Monday and Tuesday, the Indian contingent won 13 medals, bringing the total to a record 20 medals: three gold, seven silver, and ten bronze. The tally has now increased to 24 medals (five gold, nine silver, and ten bronze), with India ranked 15th. With more days remaining, there is potential to further extend this record.
Previous Record
In the Tokyo Paralympics (August 24 – September 5, 2021), India achieved its best-ever medal haul with a total of 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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