New Delhi: Harvinder Singh clinched historic gold medal in para archery at the Paris Paralympics on Wednesday. The 33-year-old from Haryana, who was the first archer to win a medal in the quadrennial event in Tokyo, elevated the medal colour from bronze to gold in Paris.
Harvinder, who completed his PhD in land reforms this year, registered a commanding 6-0 (28-24, 28-27, 29-25) win over Lukasz Ciszek at the the Esplanade des Invalides to bag his successive medal in the Paralympics.
It was an emotional moment for the para archer from Haryana’s Kaithal district when he stood at the podium to receive his gold medal. Just after the Indian national anthem was played during the medal ceremony, the cool-headed Harvinder chanted “Jaiiii’ to complete the patriotic slogan of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ raised by the crowd at the venue.
Sports journalist Lavanya L Narayan captured the video of the incident and posted it on her X (formerly Twitter) handle. The 2 minutes and 40 seconds video captures the moments of Harvinder receiving the medal, India’s national anthem being played, and the gold medallist’s reaction to the crowd’s chorus. Watch the video here:
Tears up just a bit, nice big gulp at the end – emotions for Harvinder Singh as the national anthem plays for the first time in Paralympic archery
Crowd shouts Bharat Mata ki….
Harvinder finishes the chant – “….jaaai”
What a moment for Harvinder. What a moment for India!… pic.twitter.com/H7FSVbZ1m7
— Lavanya 🎙️🎥👩🏻💻 (@lav_narayanan) September 4, 2024
Harvinder Singh’s love for academics
Harvinder Singh suffered an impairment in the left leg when he was just 18 months old after the doctor gave him an erroneous injection. However, the kid’s fascination with academics sowed the interests of archery in his youth days purely because of hitting the 10 Nos, according to a report by The Indian Express.
He started as a compound archer but then shifted into recurve archery to manage the load on his impaired left leg, as revealed by coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja to Indian Express.
Harvinder has managed to complete his PhD in economics simultaneously with his para archery programme. He has won gold medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta as his first major international achievement.
Harvinder Singh, who completed his PhD in land reforms this year, registered a commanding 6-0 (28-24, 28-27, 29-25) win over Lukasz Ciszek at the the Esplanade des Invalides to bag his successive medal in the Paralympics. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
