Harvinder Singh won India's First Paralympics Archery Gold

Historic Achievement

• Harvinder Singh won India's first-ever Paralympic gold medal in archery
• Competed in the men's individual recurve open event at Paris Paralympics 2024
• Defeated Poland's Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the final
• Victory increased India's medal tally to 22, surpassing their previous best of 19 at Tokyo 2020

Path to Gold

• Overcame a slow start in early rounds
• Defeated Taipei's Tseng Lung-Hui 7-3 in round of 32
• Beat Indonesia's Setiawan 6-2 in round of 16
• Won quarterfinal against Colombia's Hector Ramirez 6-2
• Triumphed over Iran's Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri 7-3 in semifinal
• Showcased exceptional performance in final, shooting 9, 9, 10 in first two sets and 10, 10, 9 in the last

Personal Background and Journey

• Hails from Ajit Nagar village in Haryana's Kaithal district
• Born into a farming family
• Contracted dengue at age one, leading to leg functionality loss due to treatment side effects
• Inspired to take up archery after watching London 2012 Olympic Games
• Won bronze at Tokyo Paralympics 2020, India's first archery medal in any Summer Games
• Faced personal hardships, including competing after his mother's passing in 2018

Impact and Future Aspirations

• Life changed dramatically after Tokyo bronze, gaining recognition as India's first Paralympic archery medalist
• Expects further life changes following gold medal victory
• Motivated by teammates' success, including Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar's bronze in mixed team compound open
• Plans to relax and spend time with family before pursuing World Championship gold
• Aims to continue representing India and making his country, coaches, and family proud