Kapil Parmar made history by securing India’s first-ever Paralympics medal in judo, claiming bronze in the men’s 60kg J1 category with a commanding victory over Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris on Thursday.
Parmar delivered a stellar performance, dominating from the outset to secure a 10-0 win in the bronze medal match.
Earlier in the semifinals, he was outclassed by Iran’s S Banitaba Khorram Abadi, losing 0-10.
Parmar, a silver medalist from the 2022 Asian Games in the same category, had advanced to the semifinals after defeating Venezuela's Marco Dennis Blanco 10-0 in the quarterfinals.
The judoka’s win was the only medal on the day for India, as the contingent’s overall tally improved to 25 medals – five gold, nine silver and 11 bronze medals.
India did come close to winning a medal in archery, but the team of Harvinder Singh and Pooja lost their bronze medal match in the mixed recurve event.
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