Sports Minister Mandaviya on Thursday lauded the Indian contingent for achieving the country's best-ever medal haul and expressed hope that the athletes would win more medals in the remaining two days of the Paralympics.
With 24 podium finishes in Paris so far, India have already crossed their previous best of 19 medals in the previous edition in Tokyo.
Mandaviya felicitated women's 400m T20 bronze medal winning sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji on Thursday.
Deepthi, a world champion, was expected to be a strong contender for a gold medal but the 20-year-old couldn't produce her best in the final as she added a bronze to her Tokyo Paralympic silver in the T20 category, which is meant for athletes with intellectual impairment.
"I did well but in the final I could not give my best so that's why I got bronze," said Deepthi.
She was born to daily-wage labourer parents in Kalleda village in the Warangal district of Telangana.
"The players have not only showed their skill but made the country proud," Mandaviya said.
Besides Deepthi, the other athletes present at the event included Ravi Rongali (men's shotput F40), Rakshita Raju (women's 1500m T11), Kanchan Lakhani (women's discus throw F53), Sakshi Kasana (women's discus throw F55), and Manu (men's shotput F37), along with their coaches Rahul Balakrishna, Suresh Kumar Kuruba, Sunil Lakhani.
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