HIGHLIGHTS

• India took its medal tally to 7 at the end of Monday morning session at Tokyo Paralympics
• India’s previous-best medal tally at a Paralympic Games was 4
• Avani Lekhara won a historic gold medal in shooting in Tokyo

It was raining medals for India at the Tokyo Paralympics on Monday, August 30. In a span of little over an hour, India won as many as four medals, including a Gold, two silver medals and a bronze, taking their tally to 7 medals.

After the manic Monday morning session in Tokyo, India went past their best-ever tally of 4 medals (Rio in 2016 and Stoke Mandeville/New York in 1984). In fact, India won as many medals as they had won from the 1988 to 2016 Paralympics in just 6 days at the Tokyo Paralympics.

It all began when Avani Lekhara won a historic gold medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final. The 19-year-old became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic or an Olympic gold medal in the country’s history.

It was shortly followed by winning a silver medal in the Men’s Discus F56 event. Legendary Devendra Jhajharia then went on to win a silver medal in Men’s Javelin F46 event. Sundar Singh took the bronze to complete his redemption in the same event.

India had won 3 medals before Monday at the Tokyo Paralympics. Bhavina Patel won the country’s first medal at the ongoing edition of the games, taking a silver in the Women’s singles Table Tennis C4 event. Nishad Kumar doubled India’s tally, winning a silver in Men’s High Jump T47 category.

Vinod Kumar then made it 3 at the Tokyo Paralympics, finishing 3rd in the Discus Throw F42 event. However, his bronze medal has been withheld due to a classification review. By Monday evening, the classification review is expected to be complete.

India won its first medal at the Paralympics in the 1972 Games when Murlikant Petkar won a gold medal in swimming.

Full list of India’s medalists at Paralympics as on Monday, August 30, 2021.