Tokyo Paralympics: After their best ever performance in the Olympics, India are eyeing their best ever performance in the Paralympic Games starting here on Tuesday and the 54-player squad is expected to give the country a double-digit medal for the first time in the prestigious event. could.
India Hopes to Win 15 Medals
Rio 2016 Paralympic gold medalist star javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia and high jump star Mariyappan Thangavelu will lead India’s biggest contingent ever. India expects at least 15 medals including five gold medals in these games. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paralympics are being held amidst strict safety and health regulations. India will compete in nine sports in the Paralympics. Some countries, however, decided to withdraw from the Paralympics due to the pandemic.
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It would not be unreasonable to expect phenomenal success from Indian players as at least four Indians are ranked No. 1 in the world rankings while six players are ranked second in the world. Also around 10 players have a world ranking of three.
India Participated in Paralympic Games for First Time in 1972
India participated in the Paralympics for the first time in 1972 and since then has won a total of 12 medals in these Games. If India succeeds as expected, this time it can make it to the top 25 in the medal tally. India finished 43rd at the 2016 Rio Paralympics with two gold, one silver and one bronze medals.
Mariyappan Thangavelu to be Indian Flag Bearer
Jhajharia, who lost his left hand due to electrocution in childhood, is a strong contender for a hat-trick of gold medals at the age of 40. He has won gold medals in the F-46 category in 2004 and 2016 and is the current world record holder. Mariyappan, who was permanently disabled at the age of five after being crushed by a bus with his leg below the knee, is another Indian para player who will go down to defend the gold medal he won in the T-63 high jump in 2016. He is currently the number two player in the world. He will also be the country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
These are Contenders to Win the Medal
World champion Sandeep Choudhary (F-64 javelin throw) is the third gold medal contender in the 24-member para athletics team. He is the world number one player and world record holder. The other medal contenders in para athletics are defending world champion Sundar Singh Gurjar and Ajit Singh (both F-46) and Navdeep Singh (F-41). All three are javelin throwers. The Paralympic Committee of India expects at least 10 medals from para players. Para players are placed in different categories based on the type and extent of their disability. This gives them an opportunity to compete against players with similar disabilities. Tokyo Paralympics.
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King of Japan will Announce the Start of Paralympic Games
King Naruhito of Japan will announce the start of the Tokyo Paralympics. Tokyo and other parts of Japan have implemented strict health and safety regulations in view of the increase in Kovid-19 cases. Like the Olympics, only six officials will be allowed to participate in the Paralympics opening ceremony on Tuesday. The Indian contingent will have only five players, including flag bearer Mariyappan.
Apart from this, Vinod Kumar of discus throw, Tekchand of javelin throw and powerlifters Jaideep and Sakina Khatoon will take part in the opening ceremony.
Players from 163 Countries will Participate
The Indian contingent will be the 17th team after Iran to enter the Olympic Stadium. During the Paralympics, spectators like the Olympics will not be allowed to enter the stadium. Organizers, however, are trying to allow children to enter the stadium at some places. During the Paralympics, around 4500 players from 163 countries will compete in 540 events across 22 sports.
