Preethi Pal finished third in the women's 200m T35 final at the Paris Paralympics to bag bronze in the event. (Full Coverage | More Sports News)
This is Preethi's second medal at the ongoing Paralympics after she had won bronze in the women's 100m T35 final earlier this week. The 23-year-old from Uttar Pradesh becomes the first Indian woman to claim two medals at the track and field events at the Paralympics.
Preethi brought out her personal best of 30.01 seconds at the big stage to finish third in the sprint. World record holder and Tokyo Paralympics champion Zhou Xia of China won the gold with a time of 28.15 while compatriot Guo Qianqian (29.09 seconds) took the silver.
T35 classification in which Preethi competes is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.
Preethi faced significant physical challenges when she was born as her lower body was plastered for six days after birth. Weak legs and an irregular leg posture made her prone to various diseases.
She underwent various traditional treatments to strengthen her legs, including wearing calipers for eight years from the age of five.
At 17, Preethi's perspective began to change when she watched the Paralympic Games on social media. But her life-changing moment came when she met Paralympic athlete Fatima Khatoon, who introduced her to para-athletics.
She had won her first Paralympics medal, a bronze, on Friday in the women's 100m T35 final. Another bronze on Sunday makes her only the second Indian woman after Avani Lekhara to win multiple medals at a single Paralympics.
