All posts tagged: Para Sports

Payal Nag stuns Sheetal Devi to win the title

Payal Nag stuns Sheetal Devi to win the title

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The world’s first female limbless archer, Payal Nag, stunned the reigning world champion Sheetal Devi to win the title at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday. The 18-year-old took a 139-136 win in the final to bag the women’s compound open individual gold medal in her first senior international tournament. The match had a close start, with both players having a tied score at 54 after the two ends, but then Payal shot three good ends to extend her lead and claim the title. BIG NEWS📢 Payal Nag stuns World Champion Sheetal Devi to win the 🥇 medal in her first senior international tournament! The 18-year-old takes a 139-136 win to bag the women’s compound open individual title at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok.#ParaArchery 🏹 | (📷:… pic.twitter.com/T2fMGxEK8y — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) April 4, 2026 This was the second title of the tournament for Payal, who earlier won the women’s double gold alongside Sheetal Devi, giving a golden start to her career. Meanwhile, the world champion Toman Kumar made …

India to field its largest contingent

India to field its largest contingent

Published by Webster

India will once again take centre stage in global para sport as the second edition of the New Delhi World Para Athletics Grand Prix takes place from March 11-13, bringing together around 257 athletes from eight nations for a high-profile international competition in New Delhi. The event will feature athletes from India, Russia, Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Serbia, Bosnia, and Egypt, highlighting the growing international presence of para athletics in India. Team India will field the largest contingent, with approximately 219 athletes competing across multiple track-and-field events and sport classifications. India’s top para-athletes are expected to compete at the Grand Prix, including Paralympic gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu, Paralympic champion and world record holder Sumit Antil, and Paralympic gold medallist Praveen Kumar. The Indian line-up will also feature prominent athletes such as Ajeet Singh, Devendra Singh Gurjar, multiple Asian Para Games medallist Ankur Dhama, T12 sprinter Simran, who won gold at the 2025 World Championships, and Preeti Pal who won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the women’s 100m and 200m T35 race …

Paralympic medalist archer Rakesh Kumar pleads for justice

Paralympic medalist archer Rakesh Kumar pleads for justice

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When a World No. 1 para archer is forced to appeal to the media and the government over a missed job opportunity, it raises uncomfortable questions about a nation that dreams of becoming a global sporting powerhouse. A week ago, the Jammu & Kashmir government released a list of 222 selected candidates to fill vacancies from 2014 to 2022 under the Meritorious Sportspersons in accordance with the 2022 rules. But, one obvious name that was overlooked was that of para archer Rakesh Kumar, the current world no 1 para archer and Paralympic bronze medalist from the 2024 Paris Paralympics. “The advertisement came out in 2022, and I applied for it. The state government released a list of 222 people, which includes 5 Gazetted and 217 non-gazetted posts. But my name is not there. My only question is on what basis I was not included?” the 41-year-old questioned during an exclusive conversation with The Bridge on Thursday. “I am an Olympic medallist from J&K. I am an Arjuna awardee. Even then, if I am being ignored, …

Para athlete Deepa sits on protest after years of wait for government job

Para athlete Deepa sits on protest after years of wait for government job

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A former international medallist para athlete J Deepa staged a protest outside the secretariat in Chennai for not yet being given a government job which was promised to her over 16 years ago on Wednesday. Deepa, a Kalpana Chawla awardee from 2010, had won a silver medal in the 2004 Belgian Paralympic Championships and a bronze medal in the 2005 International Open German Athletics Championships, to go with her multiple national level medals. The 43-year-old Deepa, who now works as a visiting coach with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) had appealed to the then DMK government of Tamil Nadu for a job as an athletics coach in 2010. As per the New Indian Express, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who handles sports portfolio in the state, had promised her a job in the state assembly back in 2022. Deepa was rejected in the 2022 recruitment drive for not possessing a diploma from the National Institute of Sports. She has since acquired the degree and applied again only to be denied a hall ticket with an …

Sheetal Devi becomes first Indian woman Para Archer to qualify for able-bodied Event

Sheetal Devi becomes first Indian woman Para Archer to qualify for able-bodied Event

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Paralympic medallist, 17-year-old Sheetal Devi from Jammu and Kashmir, has become the first Indian woman para archer to qualify for an able-bodied international competition. Sheetal earned her place in India’s junior women’s compound team for the upcoming Asia Cup Stage 3, scheduled to be held in Jeddah later this year. The selection followed the Junior Selection Trials organized by the Archery Association of India at SAI NCOE Sonipat from November 3 to 6. Competing under the same conditions as other athletes, Sheetal finished third overall in the trials to confirm her selection. She scored a total of 703 points in the qualification rounds, 352 in Round 1 and 351 in Round 2, matching top scorer Tejal Rajendra Salve. In the combined rankings, Tejal Salve placed first, Vaidehi Hirachandra Jadhav second, and Sheetal third, securing her spot in the national squad. Born without arms, Sheetal uses her legs and shoulders to draw and release the bow, a unique technique that has already earned her gold medals at the World Para Championships and Asian Para Games. Her …

Once in a coma, Bhagyashree Jadhav found purpose with para sports

Once in a coma, Bhagyashree Jadhav found purpose with para sports

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Bhagyashree Jadhav rose to national fame when at the Paris Paralympics, she carried the Indian flag alongside Sumit Antil. A medal, however, eluded her at the event. That said, she has been prolific on the international circuit, winning six gold medals across three events in the past year and a half. At the Khelo India Para Games 2025, Bhagyashree was back in business, winning two gold medals – in shot put and javelin throw – to give a glimpse of the pristine form she has been of late. Buoyed by this success, she has her sights on capturing a medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. But all of this was a distant dream a few years ago. Stricken by an accident Hailing from the small village of Honvadaj in Nanded district of Maharashtra, where no one knew about para sports before her success, Bhagyashree lives in a joint family. This support was crucial when her accident in 2006 left her in a coma and on a ventilator for a long time – an incident …

Providing never-seen-before exposure to athletes

Providing never-seen-before exposure to athletes

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New Delhi: Halfway into the event on Monday, the 2025 Khelo India Para Games has already handed out over 130 medals. The premier multi-sport event for para athletes in the country has attracted around 1300 athletes from across India in just its second edition. The eight-day competition, which features some of India’s Paralympic medallists like Avani Lekhara, Sheetal Devi and others, provides a much needed platform for rising disabled athletes in the country to rub shoulders with the world’s best. The event organised under the aegis of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports along with the Sports Authority of India, is one of a kind with countless athletes, who require special care flocking down to the host city. Hosting such a large scale with disabled athletes at the centre makes it vastly different and more challenging than conducting any able-bodied events. Special attention to minutest of details is needed to ensure athletes are comfortable. “Khelo India Para Games are very different from hosting other Khelo India events,” said Amarjyoti Singh, the Director of Khelo India …

How a truck accident led army man Prem Kumar Ale to para badminton

How a truck accident led army man Prem Kumar Ale to para badminton

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Prem Kumar Ale joined the Indian army as a Havildar in 2005. Four years later, he met with a serious accident. Ale was reporting to his duty on a bicycle when a truck hit him from behind. He spent the next two months unconscious. Two more months down the line, the doctors revealed he had sustained a serious spinal cord injury. Ale would never walk again. More than a decade and half later, Ale is a para badminton player. He is ranked No 13 in the world in men’s singles WH1 – the wheelchair badminton category. “In 2014, I started para badminton,” said Ale. “At that time, I was at the Para Physical Rehab Centre in Pune. There were many wheelchair badminton players in the Army and seeing all of them, I also started learning. “In 2012, I took early retirement from the Army and in 2014, I participated in the Badminton Nationals held in Mumbai and won a bronze medal. This medal gave me the means to live and then I never looked back,” …

India women’s floorball team clinch bronze

India women’s floorball team clinch bronze

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Indian athletes concluded their remarkable campaign at the Special Olympics World Winter Games with 33 medals – 8 Gold, 18 Silver, and 7 Bronze – in Turin, Italy, on Saturday. On the final day, India won nine medals, which included a bronze medal in the women’s floorball division A competition. In addition, India won three silver medals each in alpine skiing and showshoeing. There were also two bronze medals on the day, won by Akriti in cross-country skiing (100m – Classical Technique – F02) and Jahangir in snowshoeing (25m Dinal M04). The 8-member (Anu, Ashaben, Divya, Janhavi, Nandita, Pinkalben, Riya, and Sipra) women’s floorball team took a dominating (10-2) win against Trinidad and Tobago to clinch the bronze medal. Bharti, in snowboarding, was the only Indian with multiple gold medals, as she won two gold medals from the Games. On the other hand, many athletes clinched three medals from the competition. This was the 12th edition of the Special Olympics Winter Games, happening after a long wait of 8 years. This was also the first …

India double medal tally with 4 gold

India double medal tally with 4 gold

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Indian athletes continued their outstanding performance to clinch 13 medals, including four gold, on the fourth day of the Special Olympic World Winter Games in Turin, Italy on Thursday. India won two gold medals each in Alpine Skiing and Snowshoeing, which doubled their medal tally and took the nation’s overall medal tally to 22 medals – 8 Gold, 10 Silver, 4 Bronze. In Alpine Skiing, Deepak Thakur and Giridhar won the gold medals in the Intermediate Super G M04 and M05 finals, respectively. Meanwhile, Abhishek Kumar and Radha Devi clinched the silver medals. Six medals in Snowshoeing Indian athletes also opened their medal tally in snowshoeing, winning six medals on the opening medal day – 2 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze. Vasu Tiwari clinched the first medal of the day, winning the gold medal in 50m M03 Final. Later, Anil Kumar doubled the gold tally after winning the title in 200m M12 Final. Jahangir (50m M04), Tanya (50m F02), and Harleen Kaur (200m F12) won the silver medals, whereas Shalini Chauhan won the bronze …