PM Modi Met Para Athlete: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Indian players participating in the Paris Paralympics on Thursday. After the meeting, the players said that PM Modi congratulated them on their good performance and wished them all the best for the future. The players said that there is every hope of more than 40 medals in the 2028 Paralympic Games.
The Indian Paralympic team has performed its best in Paris, winning 29 medals. To encourage them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Paralympic players on Thursday and gave them a target to perform even better in the next Paralympics.
In the javelin throw event at the Paralympics, Navdeep Saini won the gold medal by throwing the javelin to a record distance of 47.32 meters. Talking to IANS after meeting Prime Minister Modi, he said, “The timing during the throw was good, due to which we got the medal. After this, we got a lot of support from everyone. The Prime Minister has also congratulated us and wished us all the best for the future.”
Nitesh Kumar, who won the gold medal in Men’s SL3 Single Para-Badminton, said, “Before going to the Paralympics, I had a virtual conversation with the Prime Minister. He told us that whatever small things you need in Paris, they will be taken care of and that happened. After coming back today, he appreciated our achievements.”
Regarding the preparations for the next Paralympics, Nitesh said that at present everyone is enjoying their achievements. He said that para-sports are progressing a lot in India. There is a lot of support from the government and the private sector. According to this, it is expected that more than 40 medals will come in the next Paralympics.
Para archer Harvinder Singh, a resident of Karnal, has won a gold medal in Paris. He said that it is a matter of great pride to meet the PM. He congratulated all of us players. He also said that those who could not win medals should not give up. He said that PM Modi asked to start preparations for the 2028 Paralympics. Harvinder said that according to the performance in this tournament, we will win at least 40 to 50 medals in the 2028 Paralympics.
Sheetal Devi, who won a bronze medal in the mixed compound archery event, said, “This was my first Paralympics, in which I got a bronze medal. Prime Minister Modi praised all of us. We are happy to meet him. I have met him again.”
India won a total of 29 medals including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals at the Paris Paralympics. India ranked 18th in the medal tally. This team has broken the record of its best medals set by India in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics (total medals 19).