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PIX: Paralympians' special gift for PM Modi...

September 09, 2021 12:51 IST

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with a white stole signed by all the medal winners at the Tokyo Paralympics. Photographs: Kind courtesy PIB/Twitter

India's Paralympians presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an autographed stole on Thursday during a breakfast hosted by him to felicitate the contingent at his residence in New Delhi.

 

The Indian para-athletes returned from Tokyo on the back of a sensational campaign that saw them win an unparalleled 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze.

This was India's best-ever Paralympics campaign as it finished 24th in the overall tally.



PM Modi was presented with a white stole signed by all the medal winners, which he was seen wearing around his neck.

Modi, who has been the first to congratulate the para-athletes after their medal winning feats through phone calls, spoke to shuttlers Suhas Yathiraj, the District Magistrate of Noida, who won a silver, gold medallist Krishna Nagar (badminton) and young Palak Kohli (badminton).

Indian shuttlers bagged four medals including two gold, in para badminton, which made its debut in the Paralympics.



Shooters Avani Lekhara and Singhraj Adana, who both won two medals each in the Tokyo Games, also interacted with PM Modi.

Lekhara, who was paralysed waist down after being involved in an accident, had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold before adding a bronze to her kitty.

The 39-year-old Adana, who is afflicted with polio, clinched a silver and a bronze.



The Prime Minister also interacted with veteran javelin thrower Davendra Jhajharia and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won gold medals in 2016 Rio Games. The duo finished on podium again, this time with silver medals.

Also present were table tennis player Bhavina Patel, who won a silver, and bronze medallist recurve archer Harvinder Singh.

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