Paris Paralympics Day 1 Highlights: Sheetal Devi Finishes 2nd, Rakesh Kumar 5th In Individual Compound Archery Ranking Round

The day is finally here! After a brilliant opening ceremony where para-athletes dazzled under the night sky in Paris, it is almost time for business. Krishna Nagar will be in para-badminton men’s singles SH6 action, while Indian archers will be taking part in their respective ranking rounds.

Para-Badminton:

• (Not before) 12:00 - Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Group Play Stage - Group A - Nitesh Kumar/Thulasimathi Murugesan vs Suhas Yathiraj/Palak Kohli

• (Not before) 12:40 - Mixed Doubles SH6 Group Play Stage - Group B - Sivarajan Solaimalai/Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan vs Miles Krajewski/Jayci Simon (USA)

• (Not before) 14:00 - Women’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage - Group A - Manasi Joshi vs Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh (INA)

• (Not before) 14:00 - Women’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage - Group B - Mandeep Kaur vs Mariam Eniola Bolaji (NGR)

• (Not before) 14:40 - Men’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage - Group B - Sukant Kadam vs Mhd Amin Burhanuddin (MAS)

• (Not before) 15:20 - Men’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage - Group A - Suhas Yathiraj vs Hikmat Ramdani (INA)

• (Not before) 15:20 - Men’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage - Group D - Tarun vs Rogerio Junior Xavier de Oliveira (BRA)

• (Not before) 16:00 - Men’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage - Group A - Nitesh Kumar vs Manoj Sarkar

• (Not before) 16:40 - Women’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage - Group C - Palak Kohli vs Milena Surreau (FRA)

• (Not before) 17:20 - Women’s Singles SU5 Group Play Stage - Group A - Thulasimathi Murugesan vs Rosa Efomo de Marco (ITA)

• (Not before) 19:30 - Women’s Singles SU5 Group Play Stage - Group C - Manisha Ramadass vs Maud Lefort (FRA)

• (Not before) 19:30 - Men’s Singles SH6 Group Play Stage - Group A - Sivarajan Solaimalai vs Subhan (INA)

• (Not before) 19:30 - Women’s Singles SH6 Group Play Stage - Group A - Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan vs Jayci Simon (USA)

• (Not before) 22:40 - Women K44 -47kg, Bronze Medal Rounds - Aruna (Subject to qualification)

• (Not before) 22:50 - Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Group Play Stage - Group A - Suhas Yathiraj/Palak Kohli vs Lucas Mazur/Faustine Noel (FRA)

Para-Cycling Track

16:25 - Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying - Jyoti Gaderiya

19:54 onwards - Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Medal Round - Jyoti Gaderiya (Subject to qualification)

Para Taekwondo

14:34 - Women K44 -47kg, Round of 16 - Aruna vs Nurcihan Ekinci (TUR)

16:46 - Women K44 -47kg, Quarterfinal - Aruna vs Khwansuda Phuangkitcha (THA) - (Subject to qualification)

20:30 onwards - Women K44 -47kg, Repechage - Aruna (Subject to qualification)

21:34 onwards - Women K44 -47kg, Semifinals - Aruna (Subject to qualification)

22:40 onwards - Women K44 -47kg, Bronze Medal Rounds - Aruna (Subject to qualification)

00:04 - Women K44 -47kg, Final - Aruna (Subject to qualification)

Para Archery

16:30 - Women’s Individual Compound Open Ranking Round - Sheetal Devi (ST), Sarita (W2)

16:30 - Men’s Individual Recurve Open Ranking Round - Harvinder Singh (ST)

20:30 - Men’s Individual Compound Open Ranking Round - Rakesh Kumar (W2), Shyam Sundar Swami (ST)

20:30 - Women’s Individual Recurve Open Ranking Round - Pooja (ST)

• 19:15 - Para Cycling Track - Women’s C4-5 500m Time Trial - Final

• 19:37 - Para Cycling Track - Men’s C1 3000m Individual Pursuit Final (Bronze)

• 19:45 - Para Cycling Track - Men’s C1 3000m Individual Pursuit Final (Gold)

• 19:54 - Para Cycling Track - Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Final (Bronze)

• 20:11 - Para Cycling Track - Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Final (Gold)

• 20:29 - Para Cycling Track - Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit Final (Bronze)

• 20:43 - Para Cycling Track - Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit Final (Gold)

• 21:00 - Para Swimming - Men’s 400m Freestyle - S9 Final

• 21:10 - Para Swimming - Women’s 400m Freestyle - S9 Final

• 21:20 - Para Swimming - Men’s 100m Backstroke - S1 Final

• 21:30 - Para Swimming - Men’s 100m Backstroke - S2 Final

• 21:40 - Para Swimming - Women’s 100m Backstroke - S2 Final

• 22:00 - Para Table Tennis - Women’s Doubles - WD14 - Semifinals

• 22:06 - Para Swimming - Men’s 100m Butterfly - S14 Final

• 22:12 - Para Swimming - Women’s 100m Butterfly - S14 Final

• 22:40 - Para Taekwondo - Women K44 -47kg Bronze Medal Contests

• 22:42 - Para Swimming - Men’s 50m Breaststroke - SB3 Final

• 22:49 - Para Swimming - Women’s 50m Freestyle - S6 Final

• 22:54 - Para Taekwondo - Men K44 -58kg Bronze Medal Contests

• 23:08 - Para Taekwondo - Women K44 -52kg Bronze Medal Contests

• 23:11 - Para Swimming - Men’s 50m Freestyle - S10 Final

• 23:17 - Para Swimming - Women’s 50m Freestyle - S10 Final

• 23:22 - Para Taekwondo - Women K44 -47kg Bronze Medal Contests 

• 23:36 - Para Taekwondo - Men K44 -58kg Bronze Medal Contests

• 23:39 - Para Swimming - Men’s 100m Butterfly - S13 Final

• 23:45 - Para Swimming - Women’s 100m Butterfly - S13 Final

• 23:50 - Para Taekwondo - Women K44 -52kg (Bronze Medal)

• 00:04 - Para Taekwondo - Women K44 -47kg (Gold Medal)

• 00:08 - Para Swimming - Men’s 200m Freestyle - S5 Final

• 00:16 - Para Swimming - Women’s 200m Freestyle - S5 Final

• 00:18 - Para Taekwondo - Men K44 -58kg (Gold Medal)

• 00:32 - Para Taekwondo - Women K44 -52kg (Gold Medal)

At the Tokyo Paralympics, India achieved a record haul of 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze, with 54 athletes. In Paris, following a gold-less performance at the Olympics, the Indian contingent is aiming for medals across 55 events with a squad of 84 athletes.

So far India has a total 31 medals in Paralympic Games:

Heidelberg 1972 (1 medal)

Stoke Mandeville/New York City 1984 (4)

Athens 2004 (2)

London 2012 (1)

Rio 2016 (4)

Tokyo 2020 (19)

The Indian contingent will be featuring across 12 sports at the Paris Paralympics, including three new events—para-cycling, para-rowing, and blind judo—in which they haven't previously participated.

Over 4,000 athletes with various physical and intellectual disabilities are set to participate in the Paris Paralympics 2024 kicking off today, slated to conclude on September 8. A total of 22 sports will be featured in Paris in 2024.

"The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will show what persons with disabilities can achieve at the highest level when the barriers to succeed are removed," International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons said in his speech.

The support staff in the Indian contingent in the Paralympics at Paris will be big owing to the large number of guides and assistants who attend to the special needs of the athletes. These 95 officials will be attached with the 84-member Indian team so that the athletes receive all care and assistance. Who are the guides and assistants at the Paris Paralympics, read here.

Whenever you would have heard of para athletes, you would have noticed that apart from sport and gender classification there is one more sub-category. For example, India's star para javelin thrower Sumit Antil, the Tokyo Paralympics champion, competes in men's javelin throw 'F64' classification. Avani Lekhara, another Tokyo gold medalist, competes in 'SH1' classification.

What are these and how are athletes classified in these classifications? know it all here.

Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan got a straight-game 21-14, 21-17 win over compatriots Suhas Yathiraj and Palak Kohli in the Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 match. The game lasted for only 31 minutes.

The Mixed Doubles SH6 Group Play Stage - Group B match between Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan are off to a good fight after trailing in the first game 23-21 lasted for 19 minutes. The second game is underway and hopes are alive for the Indian para-shuttlers. Read the full match report here.

And unfortunately, the Second seeded Indian pair of Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithya Sre Sivan fall short in the Mixed Doubles SH6 group opener against American duo Miles Krajewski and Jayci Simon 21-23, 11-21.

As the Indian pair Solaimalai-Sumathy lost their Mixed Doubles SH6 Group B opener, they now need to win their upcoming match against the Thai duo Meechai/Saeyang to stay in contention. The result of the American pair's next match could also impact the Indians' chances, as only two teams from the group advance.

Now, the Women’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage begins.

Manasi Joshi of India is in action in the women’s singles para-badminton against Indonesia’s Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh from Group A.

Mandeep Kaur takes on Mariam Eniola Bolaji from Group B.

Manasi Joshi wins the first game 21-16, despite a strong comeback from Indonesia's Qontiah Ikhitar Syakuroh.

Mandeep Kaur lost the first game 8-21 to Mariam Eniola Bolaji, but is now battling hard in the second game, currently trailing 11-14.

The second loss for India on Day 1 at the Paris Paralympics!

Mandeep Kaur falls to Nigeria's Mariam Eniola Bolaji, 8-21, 14-21, in the women's singles opener.

Not good news for Manasi Joshi either, as she loses the second game 13-21 to Ikhitar Syakuroh. It's now down to the decider!

Aruna Tanwar, the only Indian in the Taekwondo women’s K44 47kg event, is currently in action against Turkey's Nurcihan Ekinci in the Round of 16.

Another setback for India!

Aruna Tanwar lost her women’s K44 47kg Round of 16 match to the Turkish Nurcihan Ekinci with a score of 0-19. Her chance to compete in the repechage round remains uncertain.

Yet another setback in para-badminton.

Despite winning the first game, Manasi Joshi lost the women’s singles match to Indonesia's Ikhitar Syakuroh, 2-1 (16-21, 21-13, 21-18).

From India, Sukant Kadam is struggling in the Men’s Singles event, having lost his first game to Malaysia’s Mohammad Amin Burhanuddin with 21-17.

Now that's a thrilling show! Sukant Kadam won the second game 21-15 mounting a strong comeback, and the decider is tied 13-13 in Group B.

Meanwhile, Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj from Group A is shining on the court, leading 21-7 in the first game against his Indonesian opponent Hikmat Ramdani.

What a BRILLIANT game by the Indians!

Indian men’s singles players Sukant Kadam and Suhas Yathiraj advance to the second round.

Kadam, after losing the first game, makes a stunning comeback to win the next two games and the match 17-21, 21-15, 22-20.

Meanwhile, Suhas Yathiraj cruises past his Indonesian opponent in straight sets, 21-7, 21-5, to advance in the Men’s Singles SL4.

In Group D, India’s Tarun delivered a stellar performance, wrapping up the men’s singles match in just 36 minutes. With a sharp 21-17, 21-19 victory over Brazil’s Oliveira, the Indian swiftly secures his spot in the next round.

India's Jyoti Gaderiya clocked 4:14.667 in the Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying Heat 1. The top two riders will race for gold, while the next two will compete for bronze.

The 17-year-old Indian para archer Sheetal Devi dropped to second place with a score of 118 in the Women’s Individual Compound Open Ranking Round. 

Sarita is currently in ninth place with 8 10s and a score of 170.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Individual Recurve Open Ranking Round, Harvinder Singh is currently in 8th place with a score of 108 from 18 arrows.

The Men’s Singles SL3 Group A match between Indian players Nitesh Kumar and Manoj Sarkar electrified the badminton court really well. After a 1-1 tie, the decider was full of suspense as both Indians deliver a fierce battle, with Kumar ultimately emerging victorious 13-21, 21-18, 21-18.

India's Sheetal Devi is in the second position after 36 arrows in the individual event of the women's para-archers. She has 27 10's and nine X's. Iran's Fatemeh Hemmati is leading the table with 350 points. Sheetal is trailing by just two points. India's Sarita is at 10th with 339 points.

Sheetal Devi has come to the first position after 42 arrows shot in the women's individual archery at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Iran's Fatemeh Hemmati and Turkey's Oznur Cure Girdi are tied second.

Indian para-archer Thulasimathi Murugesan won the first match 21-9, 21-11 in straight games against Italy’s Rosa Efomo de Marco in Women’s Singles SU5 Group A at La Chapelle Arena Court 1.

Sheetal Devi is leading after 60 arrow shots in the women's individual event for the para-archers in Paris Paralympics 2024. She has 584 points including 48 10's and 18 X's.

In the women's individual compound archery open ranking round, India's Sheetal Devi finished second with 703 points whereas Sarita finished at ninth position with 682 points.

India's Manisha Ramadass is in action against French para-shuttler Maud Lefort in the Para-Badminton women's singles SU5 group play stage. Lefort is leading with the scores of 10-5 in the Game 1.

Manisha Ramadass lost the first set of the women's singles SU5 group play stage match against France's Maud Lefort by 8-21.

Indian para-shuttler Manisha Ramadass won the second game of the women's singles SU5 group play stage match against France's Maud Lefort. She won by the margin of 21-6.

Dutch cyclist Caroline Groot clinched the first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Thursday, winning the Women’s C4-5 500m Time Trial event in para-track cycling.

The third Game was played for 22 minutes and it was the longest rally in the match. Manisha Ramadass pulled off a 21-19 victory to enter the next stage after losing Game 1.

Sivarajan Solaimalai is competing in the men's singles SH6 group play stage. He has also lost Game 1 and now competing in Game 2 against Indonesia's Subhan.

Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan won the para-badminton women's singles SH6 group play stage match against USA's Simon Jayci. She defeated Jayci in straight sets.

Indonesia's Subhan defeated Indian para-shuttler Sivarajan Solaimalai in the group play stage of the men's singles SH6.

Shyam Sundar Swami and Rakesh Kumar are representing India in the men's individual compound open ranking round. Pooja is representing India in the women's individual recurve open ranking round.

Indian archers are giving their best in the open ranking rounds. In the women's individual recurve open ranking round, Pooja is in 10th position with 193 points. In the men's individual compound open ranking round, Rakesh Kumar is ninth with 232 points and Shyam Sundar Swami is 12th with 231 points.

Rakesh Kumar has reached the fifth position after 36 arrow shots. He has 349 points. Shyam Sundar Swami is in 10th place with 347 points. Pooja has also gained a place (8th position) with 294 points.

Shyam Sundar Swami slipped to 13th place after 42 arrows shot in the men's individual compound open ranking round. His compatriot, Rakesh Kumar is in fifth place with 409 points.

Pooja is sixth in the women's individual recurve open ranking round with 347 points.

Rakesh Kumar has made significant growth in the points as he entered the top-three place of the men's individual compound open ranking round. He has 527 points after 54 arrow shots. His compatriot, Shyam Sundar Swami has slipped to 16th place with 518 points. In women's individual recurve open ranking round, Pooja is fifth with 447 points after 54 arrow shots.

After 66 arrow shots, Pooja has slipped to eighth place in the women's individual recurve open ranking round. Rakesh Kumar is third in the men's individual compound open ranking round. Shyam Sundar Swami is 17th.

With their season's best performance, Rakesh Kumar and Shyam Sundar Swami finished 5th and 15th respectively in the men's individual compound open ranking round. In the women's individual recurve open ranking round, Pooja finished seventh with her season best performance. She totalled 585 points after 72 arrows shot.

India’s Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan were defeated by Hikmat Ramdani and Leani Ratri Oktila of Indonesia with a score of 15-21, 8-21 in the Para-Badminton Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Group A match.

Indian para-shuttlers Palak Kohli and Suhas Yathiraj are facing France's Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel in the mixed doubles of SL3-SU5 group play stage.

The Indian pair of Suhas Yathiraj and Palak Kohli went down fighting in the mixed doubles of the SL3-SU5 group play stage against France's Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel. India duo lost the match by 15-21, 9-21 in straight sets.

Iran's Zahra Rahimi is up against Mongolia's Surenjav Ulambayar in the gold medal match of the Para Taekwondo women's k44-52kg.

Mongolia's Surenjav Ulambayar defeated Iran's Zahra Rahimi 5-2 in the first round and clinched the first medal for Mongolia in Paris Paralympics.

Wheelchair Basketball - Men's preliminary round group B Game 5 i.e., between Australia and Netherlands is the last event of the opening Day. Australia was leading after the end of 1st quarter.

At the half time of the wheelchair basketball match of the men's preliminary round between Australia and Netherlands, the score is AUS 30-28 NED.

After the third quarter, Netherlands are leading in the match with the score of 44-40. The final quarter will decide the winner of the last event of Day 1.

Netherlands defeated Australia in the men's wheelchair basketball preliminary round with the score of 55-66. The score was almost even after the third quarter, but Netherlands gained in the last quarter.

It was memorable opening day for the para-shuttlers and para-archers as many qualified for the next round. The second day will bring more fun and excitement. Join us tomorrow at the same time and same place. Until then, it's goodbye from our side. Take care!