Special Olympics Games: Suhalia wins India's first medal in Judo
India had a day to remember on Thursday in Special Olympics Games Berlin 2023 as several athletes brought glory in different disciplines. Starting from Powerlifting to Badminton, Indian athletes made heads turn with top-notch performances.
On Thursday, India also witnessed history as Suhalia became the first Indian to win a medal in Judo in Berlin. The Indian athlete won the silver medal in the Women's Level 2 category.
in the @SOWG_Berlin2023 
JUDO MEDAL UNLOCKED ✅
Suhalia won the Silver Medal 🥈 in the Judo Female Level 02 with a fantastic performance throughout the games!
With this, she has won the first Judo Medal for 🇮🇳 in the @SOWG_Berlin2023
#specialolympics #sobharat #Judo #womeninsports https://t.co/L7kBjqVXAm
On the Finals day, India's Suhalia battled it out against Alessia Schmidt from Germany, Angelica Van Der Wel from the Netherlands and Zhanerke Ryskeldy from Kazakhstan. Suhalia finished second, while Germany's Alessia Schmidt grabbed the top spot. The Netherlands' Angelica Van Der Wel clinched the bronze medal.
India crosses the 75-medal mark at Berlin
The Indian contingent went passed the 75-medal mark recently in Berlin. India's medal tally has seen a steady rise in the past two days. After the end of Day 4, the Indian team have accumulated 26 Gold, 30 Silver, and 20 Bronze medals, according to Special Olympics Bharat website.
Heading into the last 2 days, here is the Medal Count of our Special Athletes so far! 76 medals secured, with 26 Gold, 30 Silver and 20 Bronze Medals! An absolutely amazing performance by our athletes! Let's cheer for the athletes for them and become #UnbeatableTogether https://t.co/Lq6WhwjgwL
India has sent more than 250 athletes to participate in 16 disciplines. The Olympics which began on June 17 will run up to June 25. There are 26 disciplines in total, and all the events are taking place simultaneously.
India are likely to reach the 100-medal mark as several athletes are still in contention for medals. The upcoming Friday, Saturday and Sunday will see the finals of more than 20 events. The tournament will come to an end on Sunday after the finals of Equestrian, Cycling, Basketball and Athletics.
Notably, India are all set to cross their 2019 Special Olympics Games record. In the last edition, the team ended with 82 medals. It constituted 17 Gold, 36 Silver and 29 Bronze to finish 10th in the medals tally.
South Korea topped the Gold Medals tally with 125 Gold Medals. They ended with 246 medals overall. The USA, on the other hand, finished the 2019 edition with 256 medals, including 113 Gold medals.