‘Your indomitable spirit and willpower are praiseworthy,’ PM Modi hails India’s Paralympians : Rashtra News
Recognising
their
stellar
campaign
in
Tokyo,
which
yielded
an
unprecedented
19
medals,
including
five
gold,
Modi
said
India’s
celebrated
para-athletes
have
a
“lot
more
to
offer”
to
the
country
and
urged
them
to
play
a
role
outside
the
sports
arena
to
bring
about
a
change.
“I
get
motivation,
inspiration
from
you
all,”
he
said
during
the
interaction
on
Thursday,
the
video
of
which
was
made
public
on
Sunday.
The
PM
was
presented
with
an
autographed
stole
and
their
personal
gear
by
the
athletes.
Interacting
with
our
champions…
#Paralympics
https://t.co/IKVreoh5f3—
Narendra
Modi
(@narendramodi)
September
12,
2021
“Aapne
haari
hui
maansikta
ko
haraa
diya,
bohot
badi
baat
hai
(You
have
defeated
a
defeatist
mindset
with
your
achievements,
it’s
a
big
thing),”
he
added.
“Even
small
things
by
you
can
motivate
the
country
a
lot,
how
can
you
motivate
the
country
further.
You
can
visit
schools,
localities.
Apart
from
the
world
of
sports,
you
can
do
something
else
for
the
country
and
help
bring
about
a
change.”
He
pledged
his
support
to
the
players
and
said
the
whole
country
shares
their
dreams
of
sporting
excellence.
“You
have
a
lot
to
offer
to
the
country
…
the
future
is
bright
and
I
am
always
there
to
support
you,
your
dream
is
our
dream
and
to
realise
that
I
will
do
all
it
takes,”
he
added.
On
Thursday,
the
prime
minister
hosted
the
Indian
contingent
for
Tokyo
2020
Games
at
his
residence
in
a
breakfast
meet.
Well-versed
with
their
back-stories
and
their
Paralympic
campaign,
Modi
asked
gold-winning
shuttler,
Krishna
Nagar,
his
thoughts
behind
dedicating
his
medal
to
COVID-19
warriors.
“I
found
it
very
touching
but
what
were
you
thinking
when
you
did
that?”
asked
Modi.
“I
saw
health
workers
doing
their
duty
without
thinking
about
themselves,
that’s
what
inspired
me
to
make
that
gesture,”
responded
Nagar.
Athletes
got
candid
during
the
interaction
with
silver-winning
paddler
Bhavinaben
Patel
revealing
that
she
overcame
a
viral
infection
and
bout
of
fever
during
the
Games.
“I
didn’t
have
a
good
first
match
because
of
that.
It
was
a
difficult
day
but
I
thought
of
your
words
during
the
send-off
and
I
was
not
among
those
who
met
you
that
day.
So
I
decided
that
I
would
everything
to
meet
you.
I
also
thought
that
this
might
be
my
only
chance,”
she
said.
“Never
think
negatively,
you
are
a
giant-killer,”
Modi
said.
During
the
interaction,
Modi
congratulated
them
for
their
record-breaking
performance
at
the
Games.
The
Paralympics
was
held
from
August
24
to
September
5
in
Tokyo
where
India
had
sent
its
biggest
contingent.
A
total
of
54
Indian
athletes
competed
across
nine
sports
events.
Apart
from
five
gold,
the
country
also
claimed
eight
silver
and
six
bronze
medals.
The
PM
said
the
achievements
of
the
para-athletes
will
help
develop
a
sporting
culture
in
the
country.
“I
think
there
needs
to
be
a
workshop
on
coaching
disabled
athletes,
a
book
can
also
be
written,”
Modi
said
lauding
the
indomitable
spirit
and
willpower
of
the
athletes.
Present
during
the
session
was
19-year-old
shooting
Avani
Lekhara,
who
won
a
gold
and
bronze,
India’s
greatest
ever
Paralympian
Devendra
Jhajharia,
and
shooters
Singhraj
Adhana
and
Manish
Narwal
among
others
alongside
sports
minister
Anurag
Thakur
and
his
predecessor
Kiren
Rijiju.
“Like
you
had
told
us
during
the
send-off,
give
your
best
and
don’t
take
any
pressure,
I
only
did
that
during
the
Games.
Medals
happened
by
sticking
to
that,”
said
Lekhara,
the
first
Indian
woman
to
win
a
gold
and
two
medals
at
the
Games.
Like
he
did
with
the
Olympic-returned
stars,
the
PM
also
advised
the
para
athletes
to
not
let
success
get
to
their
head
and
defeat
trouble
their
minds.
“Your
indomitable
spirit
and
willpower
are
praiseworthy
in
light
of
the
insurmountable
odds
that
the
para-athletes
have
overcome
in
their
lives,”
said
Modi
during
his
interaction.
The
para-athletes
thanked
the
prime
minister
for
inviting
them
and
said
that
they
feel
honoured
to
share
a
table
with
him,
terming
it
a
big
achievement
for
them.
Speaking
during
the
session,
Jhajharia,
who
won
his
first
gold
medal
at
the
2004
Athens
Games,
said
his
mother
had
to
sell
her
jewellery
to
fund
his
trip
to
the
Greek
capital,
highlighting
the
change
that
has
happened
since
then.
Since
its
debut
in
1968,
India
had
won
12
medals
until
the
2016
Rio
edition.
Out
of
162
nations,
India
finished
24th
in
the
overall
medal
tally
in
Tokyo.
What
has
come
as
a
pleasant
surprise
for
the
athletes
is
that
the
PM
also
knew
some
of
their
backstories
of
struggles.
( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a www.mykhel.com feed.)
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