Harvinder Singh on Wednesday (September 4) made history by winning India’s first-ever gold medal in archery at the Paris Paralympics. Harvinder triumphed over Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek with a decisive 6-0 victory (28-24, 28-27, 29-25) in the men’s individual recurve open final. This was India’s second medal of the day.
This achievement marks his second consecutive medal at the Paralympic Games, following his historic bronze medal in the same category three years ago in Paris. Harvinder’s bronze win had already made him the first Indian archer to earn a podium finish at the event.
Harvinder had a stellar start to the final, quickly gaining an edge in the first set with scores of 9, 10, and 9. In contrast, Ciszek could only manage 9, 7, and 8 with his initial three arrows. The second set was fiercely contested, with both archers scoring 9 with their first two arrows. Ciszek finished with another 9, but Harvinder surpassed him with a 10, taking a 4-0 lead.
In the decisive third set, Harvinder sealed his victory with two 10s and a 9, while Ciszek could only achieve a 7 and two 9s. This performance ensured Harvinder’s gold medal win.