Who is Harvinder Singh?: Paris Paralympics gold winning para archer is also pursuing PhD in Economics

Para archer Harvinder Singh won India another medal — a pathbreaking gold medal — on Day 7 of the Paris Paralympics after defeating Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the final.

India’s medals tally thus rose to 22, with eight silvers and 10 bronze medals. This is India’s best-ever medal haul at a Paralympics, leapfrogging the haul of 19 medals the Indian contingent had won at Tokyo 2020 three years ago.

Harvinder Singh made it to the final after defeating Colombia’s Hector Julio Ramirez 6-2 in the quarters and Iran’s Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri 7-3 in the semis. But in the Paris Paralympics final, he was in a different zone, completely blanking his opponent in three sets.

Harvinder Singh profile

Harvinder Singh is originally from Ajit Nagar village in Haryana’s Kaithal district. Harvinder Singh belongs to a farming family.

He faced adversity at a young age: he was just one and a half years old, when he contracted dengue and required injections for treatment. Unfortunately, the side effects of those injections led to the loss of function in his legs.

Despite this setback, he discovered a passion for archery while watching the London Paralympics in 2012. Recognising his talent, his coach guided him to make his debut at the Para Archery World Championship in 2017, where he finished 7th.

In 2018, he achieved further success by winning a gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Para Games.

During the lockdown enforced by the coronavirus pandemic, Harvinder Singh’s father had supported his ambition to be a world-class archer by converting their farm into an archery range.

Alongside his sporting achievements, Harvinder is also pursuing a PhD in Economics from Punjabi University, Patiala.

Harvinder made history by winning bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics which is India’s first-ever archery medal at the Paralympics.

Harvinder Singh’s achievements

Tokyo Paralympics (2020) – Bronze medal

Asian Para Games 2022 (2023) – Bronze medal in Men’s Team

Asian Para Games (2018) – Gold medal

Asian Para Championship (2023) – Silver Medal in Men’s Team

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