Harvinder Singh Scripts History In Paris, Wins India’s First-Ever Paralympics Gold Medal in Archery

Paris: Harvinder Singh became the first Indian archer to win a gold medal at the Paralympics after beating Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-zero in men’s recurve open final. This became 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 US in the Tokyo Paralympics semifinals before securing a bronze three years ago, put up a dominant show to knock out Ciszek 6-zero (28-24, 28-27, 29-25).

Harvinder, who's pursuing Ph.D in Economics, won 5 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 end result of the unintended effects of dengue treatment that he underwent as a child.

The total way throughout the quarterfinals, Harvinder beat world number 9 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-sixteen round.

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To start up with 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 became only one and a 0.5 of years old, he contracted dengue and required injections for treatment. Unfortunately, the unintended effects of those injections resulted in the lack of function in his legs.

Despite this setback, he figured out a fondness for archery while 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 Seventh. In 2018, he achieved as well success by winning a gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Para Games.

At some point of the lockdown, his father supported his ambitions by converting their farm into an archery range. Alongside his sporting achievements, Harvinder is likewise 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 fervour. His extraordinary achievements driven by resilience, inspire us to overcome obstacles and reach for our dreams. Harvinder’s story reminds us that with dedication and perseverance, the remainder is possible.