New Delhi, Sep 14: Following India’s best ever medal tally at a Paralympics event, silver medal winner Yogesh Kathuniya has hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contribution to Para-Sports and claimed that the success of the para- athletes can be attributed to him.
“Since Prime Minister Modi came into power, the boom in para sports, especially since 2016, can largely be attributed to his efforts. Whether it was after Rio, Tokyo, or Paris, his involvement has made sports more inclusive in a way that no one else has done.
He has always helped us like a friend in good times and bad. He provides a lot of support through Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Khelo India,” Yogesh Kathuniya told IANS.
Indian thrower Yogesh Kathuniya won the silver medal in the Men’s Discus Throw – F56 event with a season’s best throw at the Paris Paralympics. Kathuniya, who also won the silver medal in the F56 category at the World Para-Athletics Championships in May, recorded the throw of 42.22m to take the silver behind Brazil’s Claudiney Batista dos Santos, who clinched gold a Paralympic record throw of 46.86m.
The 27-year-old Indian had won the silver in Tokyo 2020 with a best effort of 44.38m while also finishing behind Batista dos Santos back then. Kathuniya, developed a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome when he was nine years old, and took up Para sports in 2017 when he was at college.
While he tried several disciplines, he fell in love with discus throwing immediately India achieved their most successful performance in Paralympic history at the Paris 2024 Games, securing a total of 29 medals – seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze.
This achievement surpasses the 19-medal haul from Tokyo 2020, which included five golds. The record haul also meant that India crossed the 50-medal mark in their Paralympic history after taking their overall medal haul to 60 medals with 16 gold. 21 silver and 23 bronze medal.
IANS