Boria Majumdar in Paris
On National Sports Day, let’s make a bold prediction. India will win 8-10 gold medals at the Paralympics here in Paris. If that happens, it will make Paris the best-ever Games and historic in the annals of Indian sport.
Is this prediction realistic or is it just something that I am saying on National Sports Day? Can the Indian athletes absorb the pressure of the big stage and deliver in the next 12 days to make it to India’s Games? Could India actually finish in the top 20 on the medals table?
Yes, they can. A deep dive across disciplines proves that 10 gold medals aren’t a pipe dream. Let’s start with athletics. I am expecting at least 5-6 gold medals from the track-and-field contingent. Sumit Antil, India’s flag-bearer, is expected to lead the way with yet another world-record-breaking effort. Antil, who has broken many records in his career, could well touch 75 meters in Paris when he takes the field at the Stade de France.
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Sachin Khilari, the man from Sangli, is another athlete who is tipped to win gold. Khilari, who was originally a javelin thrower, moved to his pet event, the shot put, in 2013-14. He won gold at the Paris Para World Championships in 2023 and goes into the completion as a firm favourite.
Others like Simran Vats, Deepthi Jivanji and Shailesh Kumar also have a very real chance of finishing on top of the podium. Simran, who missed out on a definite gold medal at the World Championships, will want to make the podium twice here in Paris in front of her husband, Naik Gajendra Singh.
Moving on to badminton, India should surely expect gold medals from Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimati Murugesan, not to forget the very talented Krishna Nagar who will be trying to defend his Tokyo gold medal. Thulasi had won silver with Manasi Joshi in Hangzhou at the Para Asian Games, and Nitesh is expected to front the Indian challenge in singles with Suhas Yathiraj, in the absence of Pramod Bhagat.
In shooting, India will bank on Tokyo gold medallist Avani Lekhara, who will be in action on August 30 at the shooting range in Chateauroux. Coached by Suma Shirur, Lekhara had won two medals in Tokyo and will want to repeat her feat here in Paris.
Finally, there is Sheetal Devi in archery, who is expected to make the podium and make the country proud. Sheetal could well win gold and take the count to a double-digit figure, something that has never happened in the history of Indian sport.
As the country celebrates National Sports Day, it is of paramount importance to get behind the Paralympics and our athletes over the next two weeks. It will define us as a nation and make a huge difference to Indian sport going forward. And the 25-plus medals which India is expected to win will surely take us into the top 20 of the medals tally, making a serious statement about how India has evolved as a multi-sport nation in the last ten years.
Also Read: Don’t use Paralympic success to run down India’s Olympians