New Delhi: Para athlete Preethi Pal wanted to win a medal in Paris, but she had another personal goal fuelling her performance at the Paralympics 2024. She had made her father a promise to win a medal so that her family could arrange her elder sister’s wedding properly.
The 23-year-old made history by winning bronze in the women’s 100m and 200m T35 events and becoming the first Indian woman to earn two medals in track and field across both the Paralympics and the Olympics.
“After I finished fourth at the Asian Para Games in 2022, I told my father, ‘Give me some time, let me win a medal and I’ll ensure we can arrange her marriage properly.’ He believed in me and agreed,” Pal told ThePrint in an exclusive interview.
“The state government awards Rs 2 crore for each Paralympic medal. For my two medals, that totals Rs 4 crore. I can now help with my sister’s marriage and fulfil her long-standing wish for a car. I also plan to renovate our family home.”
In the 200m T35, Pal achieved a personal best with a time of 30.01 seconds, finishing behind the Chinese athletes Xia Zhou and Guo Qianqian, who secured gold and silver with times of 28.15 and 29.09 seconds, respectively. She also earned a bronze in the women’s 100m T35 with a time of 14.21 seconds.
“I celebrated my victory at the Eiffel Tower. It was very beautiful. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated me over the call. Now, I am looking forward to meeting him,” the para athlete from Uttar Pradesh said.
The Paralympics, held from 28 August to 8 September, saw remarkable performances from Indian female athletes in track and field—earning four bronze medals in total. Apart from Pal’s two medals, para athletes Simran (women’s 200m T12 category) and Deepthi Jeevanji (women’s 400m T20 category) claimed a bronze each.
India wrapped up its Paris campaign with a record 29 medals, surpassing the 19 medals won at the Tokyo Games. Pal and gold medal-winning archer Harvinder Singh proudly carried the national flag during the closing ceremony on 8 September.
Discovered para athletics through social media
Social media has been abuzz with images of Pal draped in the Indian flag. For Pal, this is not just a moment of national pride but a realisation beyond her wildest dreams. Growing up, she never envisioned a future in sports.
Hailing from a small village in Muzaffarpur, 80 km from Delhi, she was born with cerebral palsy. She had crooked feet and underwent plastering for six days after birth to straighten them. Later, she wore callipers to support her feet and legs.
“Whenever there was a solar eclipse, my mother would bury my legs in cow dung pits. She’d sit beside me to help with balance until the eclipse ended. To keep me distracted, she would invite my neighbourhood friends,” Pal recalled.
Her weak legs and irregular posture made her prone to health issues. Since she couldn’t place her feet flat on the ground, she walked on the fronts of her feet.
Pal, who was initially unaware of para athletics, discovered it through social media.
“I was watching sports videos online when I came across para athletes. I had never heard of them before. I saw videos of blade runners and thought, if they can run, so can I,” she said.
However, pursuing her athletic dreams was fraught with challenges, primarily financial. Initially, Pal kept her ambitions hidden from her family. After winning a gold at a state-level competition, she surprised her father with her feat.
When Pal expressed her desire to build a career in sports, her parents were skeptical. “They said, ‘beta, what will you get from sports? Education is more likely to get you a good job and income.’”
Pal moved to Meerut for her education, living with her grandmother, but she remained dedicated to her dream.
“I would wake up at 5 a.m., cook for the family, then ride a bicycle for 5 km to the training centre. I was exhausted before even starting the workout.”
She added: “It wasn’t a synthetic ground, and I didn’t have proper running shoes with spikes. My diet was mostly home-cooked, and on days when I could afford a glass of juice, I felt, ‘Today, I will recover well.’”
No one believed Pal could achieve anything in sports. “People used to say, ‘She can’t even walk properly, how can she run well?’ In the 100m and 200m races, you need to run on the fronts of your feet. Since I couldn’t keep my feet flat, running on the fronts of my feet became my strength,” she explained.
Her fortunes changed dramatically after meeting para athlete Fatima Khatoon, who guided Pal on her training and diet.
Later, Pal went on to represent India at the 2022 Asian Games. But, she couldn’t win a medal. Her fellow athletes motivated her to focus on future competitions. “It did break my confidence, but I pulled myself out of it,” she said.
From Muzaffarnagar to Paris
While many athletes idolise legends like P.T. Usha and Usain Bolt, Pal looks up to Simran Sharma, who went with her to Paris.
A visually impaired runner, Simran has won three gold medals at the World Para Athletics Championships (2019, 2021, and 2024).
“My coach Gajendra Singh is my mentor, and Simran is my idol. My dream was just to meet her once, and Fatima ji made it come true. Now, I train with her (Simran) daily,” Pal said.
On Simran’s recommendation, Singh, who was initially reluctant to coach any other athlete, agreed to work with Pal.
He set a strict condition: “Never say you can’t do something. If you ever say no to any exercise, it will be your last day.”
Singh began training Pal in 2023, and in May, she won two medals at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. Singh expressed pride in his trainees, noting, “they both are hardworking”.
He continued: “No athlete, whether abled or disabled, has won a track and field medal like this before. Being part of this achievement is incredibly satisfying. I was training both Preethi and Simran, and both have brought pride to the country.”
Singh also described his approach to training both athletes. “I always train them together when other athletes are not around along with the OGQ team.”
Founded by former hockey player Viren Rasquinha, Olympic Gold Quest has supported Simran since 2019 and extended their support to Pal earlier this year. The not-for-profit foundation has an annual budget for each athlete, which includes the cost of their travel for competitions, physiotherapy, dietitians, and more.
“OGQ’s support has been crucial. I’m not a God; all credit goes to them. They’ve made everything possible, and I was just a small part of it,” Singh said.
Turning critics into fans
When Pal was born, her parents faced taunts from relatives and neighbours. “I’m the second child,” she said. “So it was like, ‘Another girl, and that to disabled.’ People questioned my future and even marriage.”
But, Pal’s achievements have transformed perceptions. Her success has been met with awe. Those who used to criticise her are now singing praises.
Visitors, including the media, visit her father everyday with garlands to celebrate her unprecedented success.
“People are saying no girl from our community has worked as hard as I have. Now they’re giving me blessings. They requested my father to get them a picture clicked with me,” she said. “My dad was like, ‘Jo log taane marte the, aaj vahi izzat de rahe hai’ (people, who earlier taunted me, are offering me me today). And, it’s all because of you’.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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