Meet Harvinder Singh, Paralympics gold medallist and PhD scholar in economics honoured with Padma Shri award

Ahead of the 76th Republic Day, Harvinder Singh, who made history by taking home the gold medal in archery at the Paralympics in Paris, was presented with the prestigious Padma Shri award. In the Men's Individual Recurve Open final, Singh defeated Lukas Ciszek of Poland with a flawless 6-0 record to earn India's fourth gold medal.

After winning a bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, Singh's remarkable achievement represented his second medal at the quadrennial event. With two more medals at the Paralympics, including seven gold and nine silver, India's outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics earned them a total of six medals. India broke all previous records with their most successful Paralympic performance, which was the result of an incredible demonstration of skill and dedication.

Who is Harvinder Singh?

An outstanding athlete from Kaithal, Haryana, Harvinder Singh has overcome several obstacles to leave his imprint on the archery world. His path to becoming a Paralympic archery champion demonstrates his unwavering perseverance and determination, as he grew up in a middle-class farming family.

Harvinder developed dengue fever at the age of one and a half, and after receiving an injection from a nearby physician, his limb lost its ability to function. He first became interested in archery in 2010 while attending Punjab University, where he witnessed a group of archers engaged in rigorous training. He became really passionate about the sport as a result of this encounter.

After seeing the athletes in the London Paralympics two years later, Harvinder was even more determined to pursue archery professionally while pursuing a doctorate in economics. Even with all of the challenges he encountered, such as the interruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Harvinder had unwavering support from his father, who turned their field into an archery range so that Harvinder could improve his talents during this trying period.

His resolve was only bolstered by this difficult time. When Harvinder won the gold medal in the men's individual recurve open event at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta in 2018, it was a historic triumph.

Also read| ‘Being good-looking....’: Ignored Pakistan star makes bizarre claim on getting targeted by senior players