Kapil Parmar was one of the main headline-makers, as he made history by securing India’s first-ever Paralympics medallist.
In judo, he claiming bronze in the men’s 60kg J1 category with a commanding victory over Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris. Parmar delivered a stellar performance, dominating from the outset to secure a 10-0 win in the bronze medal match.
Earlier in the semifinals, he was outclassed by Iran’s S Banitaba Khorram Abadi, losing 0-10. Parmar, a silver medallist from the 2022 Asian Games in the same category, had advanced to the semifinals after defeating Venezuela's Marco Dennis Blanco 10-0 in the quarterfinals.
On his media platform, he posted: #Paralympics #Judo Kapil Parmar!!!
‘The first-ever medal for Judo at the Paralympics! What a dominant performance to get the Ippon against Brazil's Elielton de Oliviera.’
“We all, including Kapil, know that his vision loss will only increase with time and one day, the loss will be 100 percent. As a family, we can support his dreams and see him winning medals for India and keep the moments in our mind to refresh these memories for him in the future,” said his father, Ram Singh Parmar.
“It’s just the start of a dream, which he knows that cannot be seen in the coming time, and we all want to cherish each moment of his feat.” Parmar, 24, earlier lost to S Banitaba Khorram Abadi in the semifinals, losing 0-10 by his Iranian opponent.
The judoka’s win was the only medal on the day for India, as the contingent’s overall tally improved to 25 medals – five gold, nine silver and 11 bronze medals. India did come close to winning a medal in archery, but the team of Harvinder Singh and Pooja lost their bronze medal match in the mixed recurve event.
