Indian judoka Kapil Parmar made history on Thursday by securing India's first-ever Paralympic medal in judo at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He clinched a bronze in the men's -60kg J1 category by defeating Brazil's Elielton de Oliveira in just 33 seconds with an impressive Ippon.
Kapil's achievement elevated India's medal tally to 25, including 5 gold, 9 silver, and 11 bronze medals.
In the para judo semifinals, the 24-year-old Parmar faced a tough loss of 0-10 to Iran's S. Banitaba Khorram Abadi in the J1 class, specifically designed for athletes with little to no visual acuity. Competitors in this category wear red circles to indicate their need for guided assistance throughout the competition.
Parmar, who had previously won a silver medal in the same category at the 2022 Asian Games, had a remarkable victory over Venezuela's Marco Dennis Blanco with a 10-0 score in the quarterfinals. However, he received a yellow card in both matches on that day.
Kapil, the youngest of four brothers and a sister, hails from Shivor, a village in Madhya Pradesh. His father works as a taxi driver, while his sister manages a primary school. As a child, Kapil survived a severe electric shock after accidentally touching a water pump while playing in the fields, which resulted in him being in a coma.
Also read| Suryakumar Yadav celebrates Musheer Khan’s century in Duleep Trophy with famous MS Dhoni biopic dialogue
