India's 84-Strong Paralympic Contingent Aims for Gold Rush in Paris

India's Paralympic contingent, the largest in its history, is poised to make a significant impact at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. With an 84-strong team, India aims to surpass its record-breaking performance in Tokyo, where it won 19 medals, including five gold.

The contingent boasts a mix of experienced veterans and promising young athletes. The target is to secure over 25 medals, with a double-digit haul in gold. This ambition is fueled by the team's exceptional performances in the past year, including a record 111 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

The schedule for India's athletes is packed with events across various disciplines. On August 29, Aruna Tanwar will compete in Taekwondo, while Jyoti Gaderia will participate in Cycling. Badminton group stages and Archery ranking rounds will also take place.

August 30 will see Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal in Shooting, while Manish Narwal and Rudransh Khandelwal will compete in Shooting. Athletics events include discus throw for Sakshi Kasana and Karam Jyoti, and shot put for Manu.

On August 31, Mahavir Unhalkar will compete in Shooting, while Jyoti Gaderia and Arshad Shaikh will participate in Cycling. Table tennis will feature Bhavinaben Patel and Sonalben Patel in Women's doubles. Athletics events include javelin throw for Parveen Kumar and high jump for Nishad Kumar and Ram Pal.

September 1 will see Avani Lekhara and Sidhartha Babu in Shooting, while Sriharsha Ramakrishna will compete in Archery. Athletics events include shot put for Ravi Rangoli and 200m for Preethi Pal. Badminton group stages and semifinals will also take place.

September 2 will feature the finals of several Badminton events, including SL3, SL4, SH6, and SU5. Athletics events include discus throw for Yogesh Kathuniya and 1500m for Rakshita Raju. Archery will see Rakesh Kumar and Shyam Swami in compound open.

September 3 will see Pooja in Archery, Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal in Shooting, and Bhagyashri Jadhav in Athletics. Archery will also feature Rakesh Kumar, Sheetal Devi, and Shyam Swami in compound open mixed team.

September 4 will see Arshad Shaikh and Jyoti Gaderia in Cycling, Harvinder Singh in Archery, and Nihal Singh and Rudransh Khandelwal in Shooting. Athletics events include shot put for Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, Mohd Yasser, and Rohit Kumar.

September 5 will feature Mona Agarwal and Sidhartha Babu in Shooting, Harvinder Singh and Pooja in Archery, and Kokila and Kapil Parmar in Judo. Athletics events include shot put for Arvind.

September 6 will see Sonalben Patel in Table Tennis, Dipesh Kumar in Athletics, and Kasthuri Rajamani in Powerlifting. Athletics events also include high jump for Praveen Kumar and shot put for Soman Rana and Hokato Sema.

September 7 will feature Jyoti Gaderia and Arshad Shaikh in Cycling, Suyash Jadhav in Swimming, and Bhavinaben Patel in Table Tennis. Athletics events include javelin throw for Navdeep and 200m for Simran.

September 8 will see Pooja Ojha in Canoe, while the closing ceremony will take place on September 9.

Tags: #Paralympics2024, #TeamIndia, #ParaAthletes, #GoldRush, #RecordContingent