Indian para sprinter Preeti Pal has made history at the Paralympics in Paris by winning a bronze medal in the women’s 200 meters T35 category.
With this achievement, she becomes the first Indian woman athlete to win two medals in track and field at the Paralympics.
The 200-meter race, which took place late Sunday night, saw Preeti deliver her career-best performance, securing the bronze with a personal best timing of 30.01 seconds.
The gold and silver medals were claimed by China’s Jia Zhou (28.15 seconds) and Guo Qianqian (29.09 seconds), respectively.
Earlier, on Friday, Preeti had also won a bronze medal in the women’s 100 meters T35 event, finishing third with a time of 14.21 seconds.
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Preeti developed an interest in para sports at the age of 17 after watching Paralympic Games clips on social media.
A few years after beginning athletics practice, her life changed when she met her mentor, Paralympian Fatima Khatoon.
Encouraged by Fatima, Preeti participated in district, state, and national level competitions and showcased her talent on the international stage at the 2023 Asian Para Games.
To prepare for the qualification rounds of the Paris Paralympics, Preeti trained under coach Gajender Singh at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, where she honed her running techniques.
Earlier this year, Preeti won her first international medals at the World Para Athletics Championships, securing bronze in both the 100 meters and 200 meters events.
PM Modi has congratulated Preeti Pal on Twitter account.