Sumit Antil, Krishna Nagar & Sheetal Devi: Here's India's Top Medal Hopes at the Paris Paralympics

With the Paralympics closing in soon, India is gearing up for another thriller campaign. After the para Athletes' heroics in the Tokyo Paralympics, India will look forward to the contingent's performance in the French Capital. A total of 84 athletes will be heading to Paris, which will be India's biggest contingent ever, and they will be representing the country in 12 disciplines. As India heads into the 2024 Paralympics, we look back to all of India's para-athletes who have earned gold medals in the history of the event.

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From Sumit Antil to Harvinder Singh: India's top hopes for a medal in the Paralympics

India's 84 person contingent consists some of the top para-athletes of the country who will look to add the coveted medal. Some of them will be defending champions, who will be giving their all to safeguard their medal wins. Take a look at some of India's biggest hopes for a medal below.

Sumit Antil

Sumit Antil broke his record three times in the Men's F64 Division. He won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a record throw of 68.55 meters, giving India the gold medal. He went on to break his previous record at the 2023 World Para Championships and the Hangzhou Para Asian Games. He will compete in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, and he will receive a great deal of attention.

Avani Lekhara 

Lekhara is India's first female Paralympic gold medalist after she stood at the top of the podium at the Women's 10m Air Rifle SH1 Final. She scored 249.6 to set a Paralympic record. This year, the onus will be on her to deliver her best in the Paris Games.

Krishna Nagar

As India's second gold medalist in badminton, Krishna Nagar made history after defeating Hong Kong's Chu Man Kai 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 at the Tokyo Paralympics. Nagar will be willing to defend his title and add another gold medal to the kitty.

Manish Narwal

At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Manish Narwal set a new Paralympic record after bagging the gold medal in the P4 - Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event. Narwal topped the final with a score of 218.2. 2024 will be a challenging one for Narwal, as he will be defending his gold medal against some of the best Para-shooters.

Sheetal Devi

With two gold medal wins at the 2022 Para Asian Games, India's Sheetal Devi makes herself a top competitor in Para-archery at the Paris Games.

Manasi Joshi

A coveted gold will look beautiful in Manasi Joshi's extravagant portfolio, who already is a seven-time Badminton World Championship medallist. She will be a strong contender in para-badminton.

Harvinder Singh

Harvinder bagged the bronze medal in Men's Individual recurve archery at the Tokyo Paralympics and his aim will be to convert the colour this time at the French Capital.

Also Read: Vision is to win 50 medals in 2036 Paralympics when India hopefully host Games: Jhajharia

This year's Paralympics will begin from August 28 to September 8, and India will be one of the key contenders in the event.