Paris Paralympics: Rakesh Kumar advances to the quarterfinals of para archery

Paris [France], September 1 (ANI): In the men’s individual compound open 1/8 elimination round of para archery, India’s Rakesh Kumar, currently ranked world No. 1, delivered an outstanding performance to defeat world No. 2 Ken Swagumilang of Indonesia at the Paralympics on Sunday.

The match was fiercely contested, ending in a tie at 144-144, forcing a shoot-off. Rakesh emerged victorious with a score of 10-8 in the decisive shoot-off, securing his place in the quarterfinals.

So far, India has secured a total of five medals at the ongoing Paris Paralympics, with one gold medal, a silver, and three bronze medals.

Rubina finished third and bagged a bronze medal in the P2-Women’s 10M Air Pistol SH-1 final on Saturday. She gathered a total of 211.1 points in the final.

On Friday, reigning Paralympic champion, Avani Lekhara maintained her winning streak and struck gold in the women’s 10m air rifle final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics. Shooter Mona Agarwal bagged the bronze medal at the same event.

Lekhara dominated the final of the women’s 10m air rifle and secured the top place with 249.7 points, which is also her personal best.

India’s silver medal came in shooting as well, with Manish Narwal getting a silver in the men’s P1 10 m air pistol SH1 competition.

Preeti secured third place and won the bronze medal in the T35 100m race after clocking 14.21 seconds, which is also her personal best.

This year, India has sent its largest Paralympics contingent ever, comprising 84 athletes across 12 sports, a testament to the country’s expanding para-sports ecosystem. India’s participation in the Paris 2024 Paralympics marks not only a significant increase in numbers but also in medal hopes, as the nation aims to surpass its previous achievements in Tokyo.

Tokyo 2020 was India’s most successful Paralympic Games, with the country winning 19 medals, including five golds, eight silver and six bronzes.