Preethi Pal clinched a bronze medal in women's 100m T35 event at 2024 Paris Paralympics on Thursday (August 29), clocking a personal best timing of 14.21 seconds. This marks India's first-ever medal in a track event at the Paralympic Games. The 23-year-old finished behind China's Xia Zhou and Qianqian Guo.
China's Zhou Jia won the gold medal with a time of 13.58 seconds, while Guo Qianqian secured the silver medal with a time of 13.74 seconds.
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The T35 classification is designed for athletes with coordination disorders such as hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, and cerebral palsy.
Following Pal's bronze, India's medal tally at the 2024 Paralympic Games has now risen to three. Earlier in the day, Avani Lekhara won gold and Mona Agarwal secured bronze in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final.
Preeti Pal, from Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, started her sporting journey at 18. She trains at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, having previously trained in Meerut.
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Preeti won two bronze medals at the 2024 World Championships in Kobe, Japan, and is an alumnus of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut.
Preeti Pal has had an exceptional year, beginning with a strong performance at the 6th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship in Bengaluru, where she won two gold medals in March 2024.
Following this, she secured a bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championship in Japan in May, which earned her a spot at the Paris Paralympics.
India's medalists in Paris Paralympics 2024
1. Avani Lekhara (Shooting) – Gold Medal, Women's 10m Air Rifle (SH1)
2. Mona Agarwal (Shooting) – Bronze Medal, Women's 10m Air Rifle (SH1)
3. Preeti Pal (Athletics) – Bronze Medal, Women's 100 Meter Race (T35)