These Paralympians from rural India have overcome the odds, and their disability, to reclaim glory during the recent Paralympic Games in Paris. Here are six such athletes who are an inspiration for all.
While it’s a feat for India – an amazing 29 medals at the recently concluded 2024 Paralympics in Paris – the bigger feather in the cap is the number of rural athletes who competed to return with the highest-ever medal tally for our country. There has been an outpouring of love and admiration for our champions, whose stories will inspire many others to pursue sports and bring glory to the nation.
Here are six Paralympic medal winners who have emerged from rural backgrounds, and are a powerful reminder that focus, perseverance and passion for sports can lead to unparalleled joy and success.
At 29 years old, Mariyappan Thangavelu is a triple Paralympic medallist. The high jumper, who won the bronze at Paris 2024, had earlier bagged the gold medal at Rio 2016 and the silver at Tokyo 2020, becoming the first Indian Paralympian to secure medals in three consecutive editions of the Paralympics.
Thangavelu hails from Periavadagampatti village in Salem district of Tamil Nadu and was raised by a single mother, who sells vegetables. He sustained a disability at the age of five due to a bus accident. Despite this challenge, his determination to excel remained strong. He initially played volleyball, before his physical education instructor recognised his potential in high jumping and trained him in the sport. Later, Bengaluru-based para-athlete expert coach Satyanarayana further developed his skills, guiding him to become a champion.
In 2020, Mariyappan was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting accolade for exceptional international athletic performance.
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Preeti Pal, 24, has made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals in track and field events at the Paralympic Games. She won the bronze at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the women’s 100m and 200m T35 events.
Pal, who hails from Muzaffarnagar, struggled with weak legs shortly after birth. She began wearing callipers for support when she was five years old. She was profoundly motivated when she watched the Paralympics. With guidance from another para-athlete, Fatima Khatoon, Pal excelled in running. She eventually found a coach in Gajender Singh, who helped her achieve this feat.
Nishad Kumar, 24, has won silver medals in two consecutive Summer Paralympics — first at Tokyo 2020 and then at Paris 2024.
Nishad Kumar hails from Baduan village in the Amb subdivision of Una district in Himachal Pradesh. His father is a farmer and his mother was a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower. At the age of six, he lost his right hand in a grass-cutting machine accident. Despite this early setback, he remained focused on his studies and took up high jumping seriously in 2009. He also secured a gold medal in the men’s high jump T47 event at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
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Silver medallist in the javelin throw F46 category at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, Ajeet Singh Yadav was born in 1993 in a village in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh.
In 2017, while pursuing his studies, he was involved in a train accident while saving a friend, which resulted in the loss of his left arm below the elbow. Just four months after this tragedy, he found motivation in sports and competed in the Para Athletic Senior Nationals in 2018.
At the Paris Paralympics, Yadav won the silver medal in the javelin throw competition by surpassing compatriot and world record holder Sundar Singh Gurjar with a throw of 65.62 metres.
At 17 years old, Sheetal Devi became the youngest competitor in women’s para-archery at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, where she earned a bronze medal in the mixed team compound open event with her teammate, Rakesh Kumar. She is the first and only female para-archer without upper limbs to compete internationally.
Hailing from Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir, Sheetal Devi was born without arms due to a rare congenital condition called phocomelia. Her talent was first discovered by the Indian Army in 2021, when her impressive ability to climb trees using her legs caught the attention of coaches. Her strong upper body enabled her to excel in archery.
Coaches Abhilasha Chaudhary and Kuldeep Vedwan took her under their wing, and in just 11 months, Sheetal competed in the 2022 Asian Para Games. There, she won two gold medals — one each in mixed doubles and women’s individual events—and a silver in the women’s double compound event.
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Paralympian archer Rakesh Kumar competed in his second Paralympics at the 2024 Paris Games, where he earned a bronze medal in the mixed team compound open event alongside Sheetal Devi.
Following a 2017 accident that left him wheelchair-bound, Rakesh Kumar transitioned from running a shop in Katra, Jammu, to facing substantial personal challenges, including severe depression and multiple suicide attempts. Despite these hardships, he found a new focus in archery, which has since become his primary pursuit and contributed to his international success.
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The lead image on top shows (from left) Indian Paralympian athletes Preeti Pal, Rakesh Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu.
