India’s Preethi Pal clinched a bronze medal in the Women’s T35 100m event at the Paris Paralympics with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds on Friday, marking India’s first athletics medal at the Games. Competing at Stade de France, the 23-year-old sprinter finished third, while China’s Zhou Xia, the world record holder, took gold in 13.58 seconds, and her compatriot Guo Qianqian won silver in 13.74 seconds. Preethi had previously won bronze at the 2024 World Para-Athletics Championship and secured gold in the Indian Open Para Athletics International Championship and the National Para Athletics Championship earlier this year. Despite narrowly missing a podium finish at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where she placed fourth, Preethi’s remarkable performance in Paris was a testament to her perseverance and hard work.
Born into a farmer’s family in rural Uttar Pradesh, Preethi faced significant physical challenges from birth, including weak legs and an irregular leg posture, which required her to wear plaster on her lower body for six days immediately after birth. To strengthen her legs, she underwent various traditional treatments and wore callipers from the age of five to thirteen. Despite doubts about her survival due to these conditions, Preethi demonstrated remarkable resilience, overcoming life-threatening health issues. Her interest in para-sports sparked at the age of 17 after watching Paralympic Games videos on social media, and her life took a significant turn when she met Paralympian Fathima Khatoon, who became her mentor.
With Fathima’s encouragement, Preethi participated in various district, state, and national competitions, eventually making her international debut at the Asian Para Games last year. To prepare for the Paris Paralympics, Preethi moved to New Delhi to train under coach Gajender Singh at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Under his guidance, she refined her running techniques and significantly improved her timings.
Preethi’s first international success came at the World Para Athletics Championship, where she won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m events in 2024. On Friday, she achieved her dream of winning a Paralympic medal by securing bronze in the Women’s 100m T35 event. She now looks forward to competing in the 200m event, hoping to add another medal to her collection at her debut Paralympics.
