Sports Minister felicitates triumphant Paralympians, hopes for better show in 2024

New Delhi: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday felicitated the 17medal-winners from the Tokyo Paralympics, saying he expects them to shatter more records in the 2024 Paris Games after raising the bar with a stupendous performance this time.

The Indian para-athletes registered their best-ever performance in the Tokyo Games by winning an unprecedented 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze.

Shooters Avani Lekhara (gold and bronze) and Singhraj Adana (silver and bronze) were the ones to finish on the podium twice.

"It was my dream to win a medal for my country and I had trained hard for it. Has it sunk in? not yet. I am so happy and grateful," said the 19-year-old Lekhara, who became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold.

Thakur lauded her and all others who finished on the podium, presenting them with mementos to honour their feats.

"I recall in the 2016 Paralympics, the size of the Indian contingent was 19, while this year the country has won as many as 19 medals. You have shown us that the human spirit is the most powerful of all," Thakur said at the function where the medal-winners were given a standing ovation. "Our medal tally has increased by about five times. For the first time we have won medals in table tennis and archery, competed for the first time in canoeing and powerlifting. We equalled two world records and we broke even more. India's para athletes delivered a perfect podium

finish," he added.