Paris Paralympics: Archer Harvinder Wins Gold in Men’s Individual Recurve Open

Harvinder Singh made history for India at the Paris Paralympics by clinching the gold medal in the Men’s Individual Recurve Open. This victory makes Harvinder the first Indian archer to win a gold medal in Paralympic history. His impressive performance saw him defeat Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the final.

Singh, who had previously won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, now stands as the first Indian archer to secure medals in consecutive Paralympic Games. His achievement also makes him the only archer to win gold in both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Harvinder’s victory adds to India’s tally at the Paris Games, bringing the total to 22 medals: four gold, eight silver, and ten bronze, elevating India to 15th place in the standings. This win follows Sachin Khilari’s silver medal earlier in the day.

In the final match, Harvinder demonstrated dominance from the start. He won the first set with a score of 28-24, marked by a 10 and two 9s, while Ciszek managed only a seven and an eight. In the second set, Harvinder scored two successive 9s and a 10 for a total of 28, compared to Ciszek’s three 9s. Harvinder sealed the gold with a final set score of 29-25, hitting two 10s and a 9, while Ciszek scored a seven followed by two 9s.

Harvinder had previously secured his spot in the final with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Iran’s Arab Ameri Mohammad Reza in the semifinals. Despite losing the first set 26-25 and drawing the second, Harvinder rallied to win the third set 27-25 and the fourth 26-24, ultimately winning 7-3.

Earlier in the competition, Harvinder defeated Colombia’s Julio Ramirez Hector 6-2 in the quarterfinals and overcame Indonesia’s Setiawan Setiawan 6-2 in the pre-quarters after an initial 7-3 victory over Tseng Lung-Hui of Chinese Taipei.

This gold medal win marks a significant milestone for Indian archery and underscores Harvinder Singh’s remarkable skill and perseverance.