Paris [France], September 4 : Para-athlete Sachin Khilari on Wednesday clinched the silver medal in the men's shot put F46 final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics.
Sachin secured the second spot with a 16.32-metre throw, which is also the area best (AB). However, the Indian athlete was unlucky to miss the top spot after getting short of a 0.6m.
Canada's Greg Stewart clinched the gold medal with a throw of 16.38 metres, it was also his season-best (SB) performance. Meanwhile, Croatia's Luka Bakovic sealed the bronze medal with a 16.27-metre throw.
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}#Silver🥈for Sachin🤩🥳#ParaAthletics: Men's Shot Put F46 Final👇
Sachin Khilari gets #Silver with an Area Record (Asian) of 16.32m 😍 marking Medal No. 21 for India at the #ParisParalympics2024🥳
Let's #Cheer4Bharat, everyone!! Keep streaming the #Paralympics2024 on Jio… pic.twitter.com/S2NBrs5Vjm
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 4, 2024
In the previous Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, Sachin won the gold medal. He secured the top spot in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the World Para Athletics Championship.
India para-athletes have scripted history in Paris by surpassing their highest medal tally of 19 in the Tokyo edition of the Paralympics three years ago.
The Indian contingent has added 21 medals to its constantly growing tally and will have an opportunity to further extend its record medal haul in a single edition of the Paralympics.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Indian contingent won 13 medals for the country, jumping the medal tally to a record 20 consisting of three gold, seven silver and 10 bronze medals.
In the Tokyo edition (August 24 - September 5, 2021), India recorded its best-ever medal haul with a tally of 19, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze.
It was raining double podium finishes for India in athletics after Mariyappan settled for the bronze medal with a leap of 1.85m in the men's high jump T6 final. His compatriot, Sharad Kumar bagged a silver medal with a leap of 1.88m.
Meanwhile, Ajeet, in the last gasp, pushed his name for a silver with a personal best throw of 65.62m. His compatriot Sundar, just like in the Tokyo edition, settled for bronze in Paris with his season-best throw of 64.96m. Cuba's Guillermo ended up at the top of the podium with a humongous effort of 66.14m.
This year, India has sent its largest Paralympics contingent ever, comprising 84 athletes across 12 sports, a testament to the country's expanding para-sports ecosystem. India's participation in the Paris 2024 Paralympics marks not only a significant increase in numbers but also in medal hopes.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor