All posts tagged: Indian para athletes

Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar wins bronze in men’s heavyweight category

Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar wins bronze in men’s heavyweight category

Published by Parlour News

2 min readUpdated: Jul 25, 2026 02:00 AM IST Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar opened India’s medal account in the Commonwealth Games on late Friday night when he won the bronze medal in the Men’s Heavyweight category. Jhandu, who was in Group B, started with a successful 181 kg lift before following it up with another successful lift of 190 kgs. He finished with 130.9 points and maintained his lead for a while before he was pipped by Matthew Harding who finished second and eventual winner Riluwan Idris. Born in Harnaut, Nalanda district, Bihar, he was affected by polio since birth. The son of avegetable vendor, Jhandu comes from a humble family and overcame financial and physical challenges through determination and hard work. He began his sporting career in 2017 as a para athletics athlete, competing in the F55 shot put and discus throw events, where he won several district and state-level medals. During this period, strength training in the gym sparked his interest in powerlifting. Following a recommendation at a state championship, he switched to …

Inside Manisha Ramadass’ relentless reign at World No. 1

Inside Manisha Ramadass’ relentless reign at World No. 1

Published by Webster

There’s a moment, almost thrown away in a rapid-fire round, where Manisha Ramadass pauses for a word to describe what it means to sit atop the world rankings for over 180 weeks. “The domination.” It’s not said with swagger. It’s an acknowledgement of something she has come to live with, day after day, session after session, tournament after tournament. In an exclusive conversation with The Bridge, Manisha peeled back the layers of dominance to reveal the doubt, discipline, and drive behind it. The stillness behind the spotlight The last year should have changed everything. A 2024 Summer Paralympics bronze medal. A historic first, India’s first woman to win a Paralympic badminton medal. Titles across continents. Recognition, headlines, expectations. And yet, she shrugs. “After Paris 2024… I don’t know if anything has changed,” she says. “Apart from the medal, people calling me a Paralympic medallist… everything else is the same. Same routine, same training every day.” That’s the contradiction at the heart of her rise. The world sees a breakthrough; she sees continuity. Even that medal, …

Pramod Bhagat wins double gold at Spanish Para Badminton 2026

Pramod Bhagat wins double gold at Spanish Para Badminton 2026

Published by Webster

India delivered a dominant performance at the Spanish Para Badminton International 2026 in Vitoria, with Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat leading the charge with two gold medals and a silver, while Sukant Kadam secured a gold and a silver. Bhagat claimed gold in the Men’s Singles SL3 category after defeating compatriot Nitesh Kumar in a three-game final. He took the opening game 21-17 before Nitesh levelled the match with a 21-10 win. Bhagat regained control in the decider, closing it out 21-18 to secure the title. He added a second gold in Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 alongside Manisha Ramdass. The Indian pair recovered from a first-game loss to beat Brazil’s Rogerio Junior Xavier de Oliveira and Edwarda De Oliveira Dias 13-21, 21-12, 21-19. Bhagat also finished with a silver medal in Men’s Doubles SL3-SU5, partnering Sukant Kadam, as they went down to fellow Indians Nitesh Kumar and Ruthick Ragupathi in the final. Kadam shines in singles as India secures multiple medals Sukant Kadam produced a composed performance to win gold in the Men’s Singles SL4 final, defeating …

From overweight engineer to Khelo India Para Games record-breaker

From overweight engineer to Khelo India Para Games record-breaker

Published by Webster

A thunderous ovation reverberated across the JLN Stadium weightlifting auditorium as Punjab’s Jaspreet Kaur set a new national record in powerlifting at the Khelo India Para Games 2025. Competing in the 45kg category, the 30-year-old from Punjab lifted an incredible 101kg on Sunday, surpassing her own previous best of 100kg recorded just a week earlier at the nationals on March 16. Jaspreet’s journey to the top is nothing short of inspirational. Once an overweight software engineer who graduated from NIT Kozhikode, her mental resilience got her to lose 40kgs as she forayed into the sporting arena. “Doctors told me that my lower spine was getting pressed and that I needed to lose weight. That was a wake-up call. I was weighing 80kg at the time during 2020 and my job as an engineer wanted me to sit for several hours. I was scared that it would lead me to be wheelchair-bound,” she told SAI Media. The turning point For Jaspreet, powerlifting is more than a sport—it’s a lifeline. “The game has chosen me, rather than …

World Para Athletics Grand Prix: For India’s wheelchair racers, hurdles are off the track too | Sport-others News

World Para Athletics Grand Prix: For India’s wheelchair racers, hurdles are off the track too | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

Wednesday was a red-letter day for wheelchair racers Manikandan Jothi and Manoj Sabapathi at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi. The Tamil Nadu para athletes finished 1-2 on the podium in the men’s 400 metre (T54) final, only the second time they have medalled at an international event. “It feels good to finish on the podium. A medal at an event like a Grand Prix is important for ranking points,” Manikandan told The Indian Express after his event. Wheelchair racing comes with its set of hurdles; from lack of spare parts and service centres in India, and an expensive racing cycle. India has a handful of wheelchair racers with not more than 20 competing at the Nationals. Wheelchair racing wasn’t Manikandan’s first choice. Story continues below this ad Manikandan started off in high jump but switched to wheelchair racing on the suggestion of his coach. “I got lucky that I had a sponsor, so I could afford the cycle,” Manikandan said. “The cycle is very expensive and that is one of the …

IndianOil announces sports scholarships for Indian Para-Athletes

Published by Webster

Delhi: Following the brilliant show from the Indian Paralympics contingent at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, the Public Sector Company IndianOil Corporation promised to provide monthly scholarships to the Indian para-athletes on Thursday. The announcement was made at the felicitation ceremony for the medalists of the 2024 Paralympics by IndianOil. The scholarship will have a monthly stipend, medical insurance, and sports kits to aid the athlete. The Indian contingent made history by securing 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze, marking the nation’s best-ever performance at the Paralympics in Paris. Pankaj Jain, secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, expressed his admiration for the para-athletes and announced that IndianOil will be further enhancing its support by introducing monthly scholarships, medical insurance, and sports kits for para-athletes. “This historic performance is a testament to the resilience and determination of our para-athletes,” V Satish Kumar, Chairman and Director (Marketing), IndianOil, said during a felicitation function. “IndianOil is proud to have supported them on this incredible journey, and we remain committed to standing by …

How much will India’s Paris Paralympics medallists earn as per the colour of their medals? | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 75 lakh to the gold medallists, Rs 50 lakh for the silver winners and Rs 30 lakh for the Indian athletes who have won bronze in the just-concluded Paralympic Games in Paris. Those excelling in mixed teams events, like archer Sheetal Devi, will get richer by Rs 22.5 lakh. The minister announced this during an event organised to felicitate the medallists at the mega-event.Mandaviya also pledged full support and facilities for para-athletes to aim for more medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. “The country is rising in Paralympics and para sports. From 4 medals in 2016, India have won 19 medals in Tokyo and 29 in Paris with 18th place finish,” Mandaviya said. “We will provide all the facilities to all of our para-athletes so that we can win more medals and gold medals in 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.” India concluded their historic Paris Paralympics campaign with 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, marking the country’s best performance …

Ajeet, Sundar record double podium finish in Javelin Throw

Published by Webster

Indian athletes continued their medal-winning run as Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar won the silver and bronze medals in the men’s Javelin Throw F46 category at the Paris Paralympics on Tuesday to record another double podium finish. This is the second double podium finish of the day for India as Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu won silver and bronze in the men’s high jump T63. With three Indians in the competition of the men’s Javelin F46, a double podium finish was expected. F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power, or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position. However, the Indians missed out on gold due to Guillermo Gonzalez of Cuba who threw his personal best of 66.16m to clinch the gold medal. Sundar started brilliantly with a throw of 62.92m setting the early tone. Gonzalez took the lead in his first throw with 63.63m and maintained it consistently. The fight was going for second and third place where Sundar was leading till the …

State-wise distribution of 84-member Indian Paralympics Contingent

Published by Webster

India has sent the largest-ever contingent of 84 para-athletes to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France. With cross the medal count of Tokyo, the Indian contingent consists of many big names including the likes of World record holder Javelin Thrower Sumit Antil, armless archer Sheetal Devi, 2016 Paralympic gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu, Tokyo Paralympic gold medalist shooter Avani Lekhara, and many more. India won a total of 19 medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and with 15 medals on the fifth day of the Paris Paralympics 2024, the contingent looks set on the course to match Tokyo’s medal tally. As we at The Bridge analyze the state-wise distribution of the Indian contingent at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, here are some of the key takeaways: Haryana is home to one-fifth of the Indian contingent with 23 athletes who will participate in seven disciplines. The likes of Sumit Antil, Manish Narwal, Yogesh Kathuniya, and Nitesh Kumar belong to Haryana. Rajasthan dominated Para-Shooting with four out of nine athletes from the state being part of the …

‘4 Medals Are Home’: Alia Bhatt Congratulates Indian Athletes On Bright Start At Paralympics 2024

Published by Parlour News

Alia Bhatt is currently busy shooting Alpha with Sharvari Wagh. (Photo Credit: Instagram) Before Alia’s acknowledgement, several other Bollywood stars, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonali Bendre and Ayushmann Khurrana had also applauded the dedication of the para-athletes. Alia Bhatt is making sure praises and accolades go to the ones who truly earned them. This time, the Gangubai actress made sure that she recognised and gave a shoutout to the Indian para-athletes who have once again brought pride to the nation at the Paris Paralympics 2024. So far, athletes Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal, Manish Narwal and Preeti Pal have all won medals for India. Alia Bhatt took to her Instagram stories today and shared a collage of the four athletes and congratulated them. The actress who is currently busy with her upcoming spy thriller film, Alpha, also shared a heartwarming note. “Congratulations, stars! 4 medals are home!” Alia wrote in the story she shared. Take a look at it here: Among the sportspersons she congratulated, Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal have secured gold and silver medals, …