Paris: Harvinder Singh became the first Indian archer to win a gold medal at the Paralympics after beating Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in men’s recurve open final. This was India’s fourth gold medal in this edition of the Games after Avani Lekhara (shooting), Nitesh Kumar (badminton) and Sumit Antil (javelin). The 33-year-old Indian, who lost to Kevin Mather of the USA in the Tokyo Paralympics semifinals before securing a bronze three years ago, put up a dominant show to knock out Ciszek 6-0 (28-24, 28-27, 29-25).
Harvinder, who is pursuing Ph.D in Economics, won five back-to-back matches in a single day, showing neither fatigue nor nerves to etch his name in history and clinch India’s second medal in archery here. Both his legs are impaired owing to the side effects of dengue treatment that he underwent as a toddler.
In the quarterfinals, Harvinder beat world number nine Hector Julio Ramirez of Colombia. Earlier, he knocked out Tseng Lung-Hui of Chinese Taipei 7-3 in round of 32 before overcoming an opening set deficit to edge out Setiawan Setiawan of Indonesia 6-2 in the last-16 round.
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Originally from Ajit Nagar village in Haryana’s Kaithal district, Harvinder came from a farmer’s family. He faced adversity at a young age, when he was just one and a half years old, he contracted dengue and required injections for treatment. Unfortunately, the side effects of those injections led to the loss of function in his legs.
Despite this setback, he discovered a passion for archery while watching the London Paralympics in 2012. Recognizing his talent, his coach guided him to make his debut at the Para Archery World Championship in 2017, where he finished 7th. In 2018, he achieved further success by winning a gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Para Games.
During the lockdown, his father supported his ambitions by converting their farm into an archery range. Alongside his sporting achievements, Harvinder is also pursuing a PhD in Economics from Punjabi University, Patiala. Harvinder made history by winning bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics which is India’s first-ever archery medal at the Paralympics.
His journey from adversity to triumph is a testament to determination and passion. His remarkable achievements driven by resilience, inspire us to overcome obstacles and reach for our dreams. Harvinder’s story reminds us that with dedication and perseverance, anything is possible.
