Nitesh’s gold was icing on the cake on a day when India also clinched silver medals through discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya (F56) and para-shuttlers Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5) and Suhas Yathiraj (SL4), who had won a silver in the Tokyo Games as well. A bronze also came from a para-shuttler in Manisha Ramadass (SU5).
India also tasted success in archery after the duo of Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar staged a remarkable comeback after the heartbreak in the semifinals to claim the bronze medal with a 156-155 win over Italy’s Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina in mixed team compound open competition.
It is only the second time that India has won a medal in Paralympics in archery. Harvinder Singh bagged an individual bronze at the Tokyo edition of the Games three years ago.
Sheetal, 17, also became the first Indian woman to win an archery medal at the quadrennial showpiece.