What an extraordinary Monday that was for India at the Paris Paralympics 2024. History was created, records were smashed, and new milestones were achieved in the space of less than 12 hours as India won eight medals to take their total tally to 15.
In just one day, India had matched their entire Paralympic medals tally between 1988-2016 and had won more medals than they have ever won at a single Olympics. This was, easily, the winning-est day in India's Paralympic/Olympic history. It was truly one of the greatest days in Indian sporting history.
Curiously, India's previous best day at a Paralympics had also come on a Monday - August 30, 2021.
PARALYMPICS 2024 KEY DATES | EVERY MEDAL WON BY INDIA AT THE PARALYMPICS | PARALYMPIC CLASSIFICATIONS EXPLAINED
Sumit Antil became the first Indian man to defend his Paralympic gold and did it in some style -- smashing his own Paralympics record again (twice). Also winning gold was Nitesh Kumar, who came on top at the end of an all-time classic in men's SL3 badminton.
Silvers were won in badminton by Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5) and Suhas Yathiraj (SL4) and in athletics by Yogesh Kathuniya (discus F56).
The inimitable pair of Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar won a stunning bronze in mixed compound archery as did badminton stars Manisha Ramadass (SU5) and Nithya Sre Sivan (SH6).
Here's how the magnificent Monday played out:
2:40 PM IST - Silver for Kathuniya yet again
In what has become a routine for discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya, he came up with a season best (this time 42.22m) to win silver again in the Paris Paralympics, repeating his feat from Tokyo, finishing behind the same man he had finished back in 2021 (and in two World Championships), Brazil's Claudiney Batista.
He was lost in the pain of silver (again) in the moment but looking back he will reflect on what an incredible achievement his is. As a child, he developed a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome at the age of nine causing quadriparesis (a condition in which the affected person has muscle weakness in all four limbs). His mother was his saviour, learning physiotherapy and within three years, Yogesh would regain enough muscle strength to walk again. Now he is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist.
5 PM IST - Gold for Nitesh in a classic
Oh, what a final this was. In an epic one hour and twenty minutes clash in para badminton, Nitesh Kumar beat favourite Daniel Bethell of Great Britain 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 to win his first ever international gold medal. Not a bad stage to break that duck, eh? Showing nerves of steel, a technique from the top drawer and serious patience (the longest rally was 122 shots), Nitesh took the game to his opponent. His immaculate defense and accurate attack took Bethell by surprise as the Indian pulled off his only win in 10 attempts against the Brit.
For someone who had thrown himself into studies after he'd lost a leg to an accident in 2009 -- he is now an IIT graduate -- this was a validation of a decision to focus on para badminton during his college days.
Nitesh retained India's gold in the event (won by Pramod Bhagat in Tokyo) and now comes home a Paralympic champion.
India at Paris Paralympics 2024: Nitesh Kumar, the IIT graduate who's now a Paralympic champion
8:30 PM IST - Dominant bronze for Manisha
Twenty-five minutes on court. 21-12, 21-8. Manisha Ramadass' bronze in para badminton, India's third medal of the day, was as clinical as they come.
Her right arm had been damaged even before she was born because of a clinical mistake by doctors while guiding her out of the birth canal.
She couldn't straighten her arm despite undergoing three surgeries before she turned 12. She started focusing on badminton in class five and at only 17, broke through at the World Championships and was named the 2022 BWF Female Para-Badminton Player of the Year. In 2024, she's now a Paralympic bronze medalist..
8:32 PM IST - Silver for Thulasimathi
Defeated 17-21, 10-21 by reigning champion Yang Qiu Xia, Thulasimathi Murugesan struggled to replicate the stunning form that had taken her flying into this final, but she leaves her debut Games as a Paralympics silver medalist.
That's a fact made all the more impressive when you realise that Thulasi plays with only her right hand, her left strapped to her side because of a congenital deformity made worse after an accident. Like Zenia D'Cunha wrote: "Imagine using just one hand to serve in badminton, holding both the shuttle and racquet in the same hand. Imagine the strength needed to produce the lift and momentum while throwing the shuttle and hitting the racquet in the span of a second. The 22-year-old Thulasi did that and won silver."
10:20 PM IST - Suhas takes silver, again
It's not every day you see an IAS officer win a Paralympic medal, but India has now seen this happen twice. Suhas Yathiraj may have been blown away by the force-of-nature that was Lucas Mazur in front of his adoring home fans (he lost 9-21, 13-21), but the 41-year-old's was a deserved silver, after he lived up to his #1 seeding by smashing through the earlier rounds.
Born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle which affects his mobility, Suhas has always balanced his demanding job well with his playing career, and his second Paralympics silver is a testament to his professionalism, skill and dedication to the sport.
India Paris Paralympics 2024: Suhas Yathiraj wins second silver, Nithya Sre Sivan adds late bronze
10:53 PM IST - Sheetal and Rakesh combine to win stunning bronze
Trailing by a point going into the final set, Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar knew they had to pull off perfection to win. And they did, four tens in four arrows saw them heap pressure on Italy's Eleonara Sarti and Matteo Bonacina... pressure that led to the Indians winning a thrilling bronze medal playoff with a joint Paralympic record score of 156, to the Italians' 155.
For Sheetal, this was yet another testament to her rapid rise, while for Rakesh this was reward for years of sustained quality performances at international level.
Rakesh has been in a wheelchair since an accident caused a debilitating spine injury in 2009, and he's survived severe depression to get to the heights he has reached today. Meanwhile, teenage sensation Sheetal was born with a rare medical condition called phocomelia that meant she had severely underdeveloped arms. The 'armless archer' shoots by holding the bow in her feet and pulling the arrow by a combination of mouth and shoulder.
While Rakesh finished fourth in his individual event, Sheetal lost in the pre-quarters, but the two have made up for it now by winning India's second ever medal in para-archery, a stunning bronze.
Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar win Paralympics bronze in remarkable fashion
11:05 PM IST - Superstar Sumit does it again
Very few Indian athletes have ever operated with the swag that Sumit Antil has. Even fewer have the medal cabinet he has.
Sumit won Tokyo Paralympics gold by absolutely blowing his opposition away, and he did just the same three years later in Paris. As Shyam Vasudevan wrote: "If an athlete could be awarded multiple medals for their throws, Sumit Antil would have won gold, silver and bronze [on Monday]."
Sumit had originally planned to become a wrestler, but those dreams had to be abandoned after his left leg was amputated following a road accident. After months in hospital, a prosthetic leg revived his sporting dreams... and now he is a two-time Paralympic champion. What a superstar.
1:24 AM IST - Nithya wins dominant bronze
A 21-14, 21-6 win in 23 minutes tells its own tale. Para badminton player Nithya Sre Sivan had quite the story to tell as she wrapped India's momentous Monday with a dominant bronze. She outplayed, outwitted and generally overwhelmed Indonesia's Marlina Rina in the newly-introduced SH6 category -- meant for athletes of short stature.
Having taken to the sport only in 2019, her rise through the ranks has been rapid, and this bronze medal match showed exactly why. Nithya's clever manipulation of space, pushing clears deep and accurate before finishing off rallies with angled drops saw her control the match from start to finish.
It was a truly emphatic way to finish a great day in Indian sporting history.