Preethi Pal Secures Bronze In 100m, Ending India’s Paralympics Medal Wait

India's star athlete Preethi Pal secured a historic bronze medal in the women's 100m T35 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on August 30. She clocked a personal-best time of 14.21 seconds, marking India's first-ever medal in this event and the country's third medal at the 17th Summer Paralympic Games.

Preethi, hailing from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, delivered her career-best performance to finish behind China's Xia Zhou and Qianqian Gou. Xia clinched gold with a season-best time of 13.58 seconds, while Gou took silver with a personal-best of 13.74 seconds.

Women's 100m T35 Results

Earlier this year, Preethi earned a bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, which qualified her for the Paris Games finals. Despite narrowly missing out on medals at last year's Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, she remained a strong contender for Paris.

The Indian contingent opened their medal tally on Day 2 of the Paris Paralympics with Mona Agarwal winning bronze and Avani Lekhara securing gold in the women's 10m air rifle event. More medals are anticipated as Manish Narwal competes in the men's 10m air pistol finals later today.

Prime Minister's Congratulatory Message

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Preethi for her remarkable achievement at the Paris Paralympics.

This accomplishment not only highlights Preethi's dedication but also adds to India's growing presence in international para athletics.