Paris Paralympics 2024: Preethi Pal Claims Bronze In Women’s 100m T35, Marks India’s First Track Medal at Para Games

New Delhi: Preeti Pal took the bronze medal home in the Women’s 100m T35 final, which she completed in 14.21 seconds and turned out to be the first Indian Paralympian to clinch a podium finish in a track event at the Paralympics.

Preethi Pal, of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, produced the best performance of her career as she clocked 14.21 seconds to win the bronze medal in the women’s 100m T35 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Chinese athletes dominated the race as Xia Zhou took gold with a season-best mark of 13.58 seconds, while Qianqian Gou took silver with a 13.74-second finish.

Earlier this year, Preethi Pal won a bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2024 in Kobe, which earned her a spot in the finals at the Paris Paralympics. Despite narrowly missing out on medals at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, she emerged as a strong contender at the Paris Games, ultimately securing the bronze in the women’s 100m T35 event.

India opened their medal account on Day 2 of the Paris Paralympics, with Mona Agarwal earning a bronze medal, while star shooter Avani Lekhara made history by winning gold in the women’s 10m air rifle event on Friday. With these achievements, India has already begun a strong campaign, and more medals are expected to follow. Manish Narwal is set to compete in the men’s 10m air pistol finals later today, raising hopes for another addition to India’s growing tally.