Harvinder Singh Wins Historic Gold Medal in Para Archery at Paris 2024 Paralympics

Harvinder Singh has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by winning India’s first-ever gold medal in para archery at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. On Wednesday, he triumphed over Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek with a decisive score of 6-0 in the men’s individual recurve open final, securing his second consecutive medal at the Paralympic Games.

Earlier in the competition, Harvinder demonstrated his resilience by rallying from a 1-3 deficit to overcome Iran’s Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri in the semifinals, concluding the match with a score of 7-3. His victory is especially significant, as he had already made history by securing a bronze medal in the same category during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, marking him as the first Indian archer to reach the podium at this prestigious event.

The recent achievement adds to India’s success in archery at the ongoing Paralympics, where it has garnered a total of two medals in this discipline. Previously, Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar had won bronze in the mixed team compound open event.

With Harvinder’s gold medal, India’s overall medal tally at the Paralympics has reached 22, including four golds, eight silvers, and ten bronzes. This collection marks the nation’s best performance at a single Paralympic edition, surpassing the previous record of 19 medals achieved in Tokyo.

In his path to the finals, Harvinder finished ninth in the ranking round and initiated the knockout stages with a victory against Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Lung-Hui. He continued his winning streak with a strong performance against Indonesia’s Setiawan, reaching the quarterfinals with a score of 6-2.

Harvinder faced Colombia’s Hector Julio Ramirez in the quarterfinals. Despite Ramirez having previously eliminated the top-seeded French archer, Harvinder maintained his lead and secured a victory of 6-2.

Additionally, Harvinder is set to compete alongside Pooja in the mixed team recurve open event scheduled for Thursday.

Hailing from Kaithal, a remote village in Haryana, Harvinder’s journey is particularly inspiring. He faced significant health challenges from a young age due to an adverse reaction to medication for dengue, which affected his mobility. However, his determination led him to discover archery, inspired by athletes he observed at Punjabi University in 2010 and the London Paralympics in 2012.

His first major achievement came in 2018 when he won a gold medal in the men’s individual recurve open event at the Asian Para Games, just weeks after losing his mother. Harvinder’s continued success includes a bronze medal in men’s doubles recurve at the recent Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.