Preethi Pal won India's first athletics medal in a Paralympics track event as she clinched a bronze in the women's T35 100m competition with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds at the Paris Games on Friday.
All the athletics medals India had won since the 1984 edition of the Paralympics have come from field events.
The 23-year-old Preethi, a farmer's daughter from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, opened India's athletics medal account on the second day of competitions.
Preethi had come to Paris after winning a bronze in the same event at the World Para Athletics Championships in May.
China's Zhou Xia (13.58) and Guo Qianqian (13.74) won the gold and silver respectively.
"More glory for India as Preeti Pal wins a Bronze medal in the 100m T35 event at the #Paralympics2024. Congratulations to her. This success will certainly motivate budding athletes," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
The result was a repeat of the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, as the same Chinese runners Xia and Qianqian had won gold and silver there too.
T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.
"This was my first Paralympics and I am still yet to believe that I have won a medal," she said.
"I am feeling proud that I have won India's first track medal in the Paralympics." Preethi will also compete in the T35 200m event in which she also won a bronze in World Para Athletics Championships.
She was born to a farmer's family in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. She 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.
With Fatima's support, Preethi competed in the state championships and national events from 2018 onwards. She qualified for the Asian Para Games last year in China, where she finished fourth in both the 100m and 200m sprints.
She moved to Delhi to train under coach Gajender Singh and fine tuned her running techniques, leading to her winning a bronze medal each in 100m and 200m in World Para Athletics Championships.
She also received out of pocket allowance under Target Olympic Podium Scheme of the government and other financial assistance for training and competition.
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