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After a glorious campaign at the Olympics, India's focus now shifts to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The largest contingent of 54 para-athletes will be representing India at the Para Games. After winning 4 medals in Rio, India will be looking to better that record by putting in a splendid performance at the 2021 Paralympics.
Let's check out 5 Indians who can probably win the gold medal at the Para Games in Tokyo.
List of 5 Indian para-athletes who can win a gold medal
# 5 Avani Lekhara [Shooting]
The Indian para-shooter has been making a lot of noise in international competitions. The 19-year-old came second at the recent Para-shooting World Cup after scoring 248.7 in the final, which was only 0.3 points behind the gold medal position.
Avani is currently ranked 5th in the world and she will be up against some tough para shooters like Iryna Shchetnik and Veronika Vadovicova who occupy the top 2 positions. However, Avani is a tough competitor and will definitely put her best foot forward to try and bag the gold medal.
# 4 Manish Narwal [Shooting]
The Indian shooter quickly rose to fame after winning a gold medal at the Para Shooting World Cup in March. Narwal broke the world record by scoring 229.1 points in the final of the P4 mixed 50 m pistol SH1 event. He also won a bronze medal at the para-shooting World Championships in Sydney.
Manish Narwal is currently World No. 4 in the event. He will be up against world-class shooters like Oleksii Denysiuk and Sergey Malyshev, but the Indian has proven in the past that he can get the better of these para-shooters. If he continues his stellar form into the Games, Narwal is definitely going to win India a medal in para-shooting.
# 3 Sharad Kumar [Athletics]
Sharad Kumar has been working hard for these Games in Ukraine for the past 4 years. The Indian fell short of finishing on the podium in 2016, but he will be counting on the hard work he has put in to give his best at the event in Tokyo.
He is currently ranked World No.1 in the men's T42 high jumper event and has looked stunning in recent competitions. Sharad has a stacked resume with all the top international medals to his name. He only lacks a Paralympic medal and is confident of winning it this time.
# 2 Mariyappan Thanagevlu [Athletics]
The high-jumper will be India's flagbearer at the opening ceremony of 2021 Paralympics. Having won the gold in 2016, Mariyappan is keen on getting the gold once again in Tokyo. He has not been in the best of form this year. However, his ability to pull off big jumps in clutch situations makes him one of the favorites to win a gold medal at the Paralympics.
# 1 Devendra Jhajharia [Athletics]
The two-time gold medal winner is yet again one of the favorites to win the top prize in para-sports. His throw of 65.71 meters at the national selection trials meant he broke his own world record from the Paralympic Games in Rio. The Indian is already a national legend in para-sports. However, a third gold medal will cement his place as one of the best para-athletes in the world.
Also Read: Devendra Jhajharia -- The one arm para-champion of India
