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Indian Paralympic athletes were accorded a grand welcome at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport upon their return from the Paris Paralympics, where they showcased an exceptional performance. On Saturday morning, half of the Indian contingent arrived home after participating in the prestigious event.Among the returning athletes were Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal, Pranav Soorma, Rakesh Kumar, and Manish Narwal. Fans gathered in large numbers outside the airport, showering the para-athletes with flower petals and expressing their admiration.India's Paralympic stars, including gold medalist Avani Lekhara, silver medalist Manish Narwal, Pranav Soorma, and bronze medalists Rubina, returned to a hero's welcome. The remaining athletes of the Indian contingent will return after the conclusion of the multi-sport event.Star Indian parashooter Avani Lekhara expressed her gratitude for the support and recognition. "It has been a good journey, and we have won many good medals this time," she said.Para shooter Mona Agarwal shared her excitement about her first Paralympic experience. "I am feeling very good as I am receiving so much love... My Paralympic journey was very good," she said.Reigning Paralympic champion Avani Lekhara continued her winning streak, securing gold in the women's 10m air rifle final. She became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in the Games' history. Shooter Mona Agarwal also bagged a bronze medal in the same event.Para-archer Rakesh Kumar attributed his victory to his coaches. "I am feeling very good... The credit for my victory goes to my coaches... We will work hard and perform better at the next Paralympics," he said.The Indian archery pair of Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi clinched the bronze medal in the Mixed Team Compound event, defeating Italy's Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonnacina.India's medal tally at the ongoing Paralympics has reached 27, including six gold medals, nine silver medals, and 12 bronze medals. This is the highest number of gold medals India has ever won at a Paralympics Games event, surpassing the previous record of five golds in Tokyo 2020.Indian para-athletes have made the nation proud with their exceptional performance, contributing three golds, six silvers, and six bronze medals to the country's overall tally.

India's Paralympic campaign in Tokyo ended on a bittersweet note as para-athletes Simran Sharma and Ashok narrowly missed out on podium finishes.Simran Sharma, who had stormed into the women's 100m T12 final, finished last among the four finalists with a timing of 12.31s. Cuba's Omara Durand Elias, the world record-holder, claimed gold with a time of 11.81s, followed by Ukraine's Oksana Boturchuk (12.17s) and Germany's Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt (12.26s).Powerlifter Ashok, competing in the men's 65kg final, finished sixth with a best lift of 199kg. He had successfully lifted 196kg in his first attempt and 199kg in his second, but failed to lift 206kg in his third and final attempt. China's Yi Zou won gold with a lift of 215kg, while Great Britain's Mark Swan took silver with 213kg and Algeria's Hocine Bettir claimed bronze with 209kg.Despite the disappointing results for Simran and Ashok, India's para-archery team made history by winning two medals at the Paralympics for the first time. Harvinder Singh won India's first-ever gold medal in para archery with a straight-set victory over Poland's Lukasz Ciszek in the men's individual recurve open final. The Indian para archery team also won a bronze medal in the mixed team recurve open event.India's overall performance at the Tokyo Paralympics was a testament to the growing strength and determination of its para-athletes. The country's record-breaking medal tally of 19 medals, including five golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes, is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of these exceptional individuals.

India's Schedule at Paris Paralympics 2024: Saturday, August 31India's Paralympic contingent will continue their quest for glory on Saturday, August 31, with a packed schedule of events. Among the highlights will be the performance of armless archer Sheetal Devi, who has already made a strong impression in the women's individual compound open event.Morning Session:* 12:00 PM: Para badminton - Mandeep Kaur vs Celine Aureline Vinot (Australia) - Women's Singles SL3 Group B (Group Stage)* 1:00 PM: Para shooting - Swaroop Mahavir Unhalkar - R1 Men's 10m Air Rifle SH1 Standing (Qualification)* 1:20 PM: Para badminton - Nitish Kumar vs Mongkhon Bunsun (Thailand) - Men's Singles SL3 Group A (Group Stage)* 1:30 PM: Para cycling - Jyoti Gaderiya - Women's 500m Time Trial C1-C3 (Qualification)* 1:49 PM: Para cycling - Arshad Shaik - Men's 1000m Time Trial C1-C3 (Qualification)* 2:00 PM: Para badminton - Manoj Sarkar vs Ynag Jianyuan (China) - Men's Singles SL3 Group A (Group Stage)Afternoon Session:* 2:40 PM: Para rowing - Anita/Narayana - PR 3 Mixed Doubles Sculls (Repechage)* 2:40 PM: Para badminton - Sukant Kadam vs Siripong Teamarrom (Thailand) - Men's Singles SL4 Group B (Group Stage)* 3:20 PM: Para badminton - Tarun Dhillon vs Lucas Mazur (France) - Men's Singles SL4 Group D (Group Stage)* 3:30 PM: Para shooting - Rubina Francis - P2 Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Qualification)* 3:45 PM: Para shooting - Subject to Qualification - R1 Men's 10m Air Rifle SH1 Standing (Finals)* 4:00 PM: Para badminton - Manisha Ramadas vs Yang Qiu Xia (China) - Women's Singles SU5 Group C (Group Stage)Evening Session:* 5:05 PM: Para cycling - Subject to Qualification - Women's 500m Time Trial C1-C3 (Finals)* 5:32 PM: Para cycling - Subject to Qualification - Men's 1000m Time Trial C1-C3 (Finals)* 6:15 PM: Para shooting - Subject to Qualification - P2 Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 (Finals)* 7.00 PM: Para archery - Sarita vs Eleonara Sarti (Italy) - Women's Individual Compound Open (Round of 16)* 8:59 PM: Para archery - Sheetal Devi vs Mariana Zuniga (Chile) - Women's Individual Compound Open (Round of 16)* 9:16 PM: Para archery - Subject to Qualification - Women's Individual Compound Open (Quarterfinals)* 10:24 PM: Para archery - Subject to Qualification - Women's Individual Compound Open (Semifinals)* 10:30 PM: Para athletics - Parveen Kumar - Men's Javelin F57 (Finals)* 11:13 PM: Para archery - Subject to Qualification - Women's Individual Compound Open (Bronze Medal Match)* 11:30 PM: Para archery - Subject to Qualification - Women's Individual Compound Open (Finals)