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The Day 2 of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games saw Avani Lekhara defend her gold medal and become the first Indian female Paralympian to win back-to-back gold medals. The Indian para-shooter clinched a gold, setting a new Paralympic record, her compatriot, Mona Agarwal settled for a bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1. Meanwhile, Preethi Pal bagged India’s first-ever medal in track events at the Paralympic Games.
In this article, we will go through all the big news that took place on Friday, August 30 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Shooting
Avani Lekhara defends gold medal; M. Agarwal wins bronze at Paralympics
Indian para-shooters opened the medal tally at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Friday, August 30. Defending champion in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1, Avani Lekhara successfully defended her gold medal at the Summer Paralympic Games with a score of 249.6 while Mona Agarwal secured the bronze medal with a score of 228.7.
Manish Narwal wins silver in men’s 10m air pistol at Paralympics 24
Indian shooter Manish Narwal clinched silver in men’s 10m air pistol event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on Friday, August 30. With his medal, Manish became the only sixth Indian athlete to win multiple medals in the history of Summer Paralympic Games. Narwal scored a total of 234.9 points to finish second in the men’s 10m air pistol in the 10m air pistol SH1 final at Chateauroux.
Athletics
Preethi Pal wins bronze in women’s 100m T35 final at Paralympics'24
India's Preethi Pal etched history as she became the first-ever sprinter to win a medal for India at the Paralympic Games on Friday, August 30. The Indian athlete secured bronze medal in the women's 100m T35 final, clocking 14.21 seconds. Notably, it was also her personal best. The 23-year-old Indian athlete finished behind China's Xia Zhou and Qianqian Guo.
Sakshi Kasana and Karamjyoti Dalal miss out medals at Paris Paralympics; finishes seventh and sixth respectively
In a disappointing turn of events, Indian discus throwers Sakshi Kasana and Karamjyoti Dalal both missed out on medals in the women’s discus throw F55 final. The competition was intense, with both athletes giving it their all. Sakshi Kasana’s best throw was 21.49 meters, while Karamjyoti delivered a commendable final throw of 20.22 meters. Both competitors were in the F55 division, where athletes perform while seated and have full arm functionality.
Badminton
Suhas, Nitesh, Thulasimathi seal semifinal spot; Manasi, Manoj out of Paralympic Games
Tokyo Games silver medalist shuttler Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar continued their impressive run to secure spots in the men's singles SL4 and SL3 semifinals, respectively, at the Paralympics here on Friday. Murugesan Thulasimathi also made it to the women's singles SU5 semifinals after topping Group A. She beat Beatriz Monteiro of Portugal 21-12 21-8 for her second win in the group. However, it was a disappointing day for Manasi Joshi and Manoj Sarkar, as they both suffered their second consecutive defeats, ending their chances of reaching the semifinals in their respective groups.
Others
River Seine water quality issues resurface for para triathletes at Paris Paralympic Games
Concerns over water quality in the Seine River resurfaced at the Paralympic Games when organizers changed the schedule for para triathlon races. It is to be noted that all 11 medal events are to be held on one day, September 1, instead of two as originally planned, Paris 2024 organizers said in a statement. “The decision to hold all medal events on one day was taken in view of the weather forecast and to provide athletes and coaches with as much certainty as possible. The course of the swim remains unchanged,” organizers said.
