“Aiming for at least five gold and 12 medals” – India para-athletics head coach Satyanarayana ahead of Paris 2024 Paralympics
With the first batch of India’s Paris 2024 Paralympics contingent leaving for the French capital, India’s para-athletics head coach Satyanarayana said that the athletes will target at least 12 medals, including five gold, at the quadrennial games. The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is scheduled to start on August 28.
Speaking to a reporter from the news agency PTI, para-athletics head coach Satyanarayana said:
“We are aiming for at least five gold and 12 medals in total. This will be our best performance in the Paralympics.”
India had won a record-breaking 19 medals in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, with five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals. The gold medalists for India at the Tokyo 2020 Games include Sumit Antil, Deepthi Jeevanji, Sachin Khilari, Ekta Bhyan, Simran Sharma, and Mariyappan Thangavelu, all of whom were from the para-athletics contingent.
Paralympics gold medalist Sumit Antil in first batch of India’s Paris 2024 contingent
India is sending their largest ever 84-member contingent to the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Among these, 16 members of the contingent, including Tokyo 2020 Paralympics gold medalist Sumit Antil, have already left for Paris.
The para-athletes will stay in hotels in the capital city, and then relocate to the Paralympics Village on August 25, three days before the grand outdoors Opening Ceremony at the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysees.
During their stay in Paris hotels, the contingent members will be allowed to train at the Nelson Mandela Sports Complex, which is around five kilometres away from the Stade de France, where the athletics events will be hosted.
“Sumit Antil and some other para-athletes will train at Nelson Mandela Sports Complex for a few days before entering the Games Village,” Satyanarayana told PTI reporters.
“Some will stay at hotels near the Games Village and they can use the training facilities there during daytime,” he added.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics will take place from August 28 to September 8.