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India finish 43rd in medal table, China on top as Rio Paralympics end

Rio de Janeiro, Sep 19: The Rio Paralympics 2016 on Sunday (September 18) came to a triumphant end, though it was marred in the final hours by the death of an Iranian cyclist.

Who is Devendra Jhajharia?</a>; <a href=Who is Mariyappan Thangavelu?" title="Who is Devendra Jhajharia?; Who is Mariyappan Thangavelu?" />Who is Devendra Jhajharia?; Who is Mariyappan Thangavelu?

With 105 gold, 81 silver and 51 bronze medals, China became only the third country to win more than 100 gold medals at a single edition of the Paralympic Games.

India finish 43rd in medal table, China on top as Rio Paralympics end

Britain (64 gold), Ukraine (41) and the United States (40) followed China in the medals' tally, in eleven days of competition.

With four medal, India finished 43rd with two golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. This is India's best ever performance in the Paralympics and even better than its medal tally at Rio Olympics, in which it had to settle with paltry two medals.

For India, high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu and javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia won gold in their respective events. While discus thrower Deepa Malik won silver in women's shotput and Varun Singh Bhati clinched a bronze in the high jump event.

Deepa Malik scripted history as she became only the first woman paralympian to win a medal for India in the Paralympic Games.

Devendra Jhajharia

"I want to use this medal to support women with disabilities in India. This journey has been wonderful for me and my entire family, I am proud to be the oldest athlete in the team and win a medal," Deepa told IANS immediately after her silver medal feat, which she won with a personal best throw of 4.61 metres.

21-year-old Mariyappan Thangavelu cleared a jump of 1.89 metres to strike gold for India in men's high jump T42 event.

"It looks like a dream. But at the same time in reality, now I must have to reshape my family members," Mariyappan said from his coach's phone.

Devendra, who won his previous gold in the 2004 Athens Games, bettered his own world record to finish on top in the men's F46 event.

After winning his second Paralympic gold, Jhajharia now wants to open an academy for para athletes. (Rio Paralympics medallists will also be given Khel Ratna: Sports Minister)

At the closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana football stadium Brazilian officials were officially to hand over to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Japanese say that the Rio Games have set a high standard for them to follow.

The gap between the Olympic and Paralympic performances is gradually blurring with disabled athletes breaking records after records in Rio.

Among the stars were Brazil's swimmer Daniel Dias who added four golds, three silvers and two bronzes to his existing medal haul from Beijing and London which has won him descriptions as the Michael Phelps of the Paralympics.

There was amazement in the 1,500m track race when Algeria's Abdellatif Baka set a new record that was actually faster than the winning time by Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz in the same stadium a month earlier, during Olympic Games.

OneIndia News

Story first published: Thursday, August 24, 2017, 17:41 [IST]
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