Finance
Preethi Pal made history by winning bronze in the women’s 200m T35 at the current 2024 Games, making her the first Indian woman athlete to win two medals in track and field in the Paralympics or Olympics.
Preethi finished in 30.01 seconds, trailing only the Chinese duo of Xia Zhou and Guo Qianqian, who won gold and silver with times of 28.15 and 29.09 seconds, respectively.
Earlier on Friday, the Indian sprinter took bronze in the women’s 100m -T35. The 23-year-old finished third in the final, clocking 14.21 seconds, which was also her personal best. Identical to the 200m T35 final result, China’s World Record-holder Zhou Xia won gold in 13.58 seconds, while her compatriot Guo Qianqian took silver in 13.74 seconds.
Preethi was born into a farmer’s family in rural Uttar Pradesh, and she suffered tremendous physical obstacles from the moment she was born, since her lower body had to be plastered for six days. Her weak legs and uneven leg position made her susceptible to a variety of ailments.
Preethi received a variety of standard treatments to strengthen her legs, but she had to begin wearing calipers at the age of five and wore them for eight years. Despite numerous doubts about her survival, she proved to be a warrior, surviving life-threatening circumstances to show tremendous courage and tenacity.
She became interested in parasports at the age of 17 after seeing recordings from the Paralympic Games on social media. Her life changed a few years after starting to practice athletics when she met her mentor, Paralympian Fathima Khatoon.
Encouraged by Fathima, Preeti competed in district, state, and national contests before making her international debut at the Asian Para Games last year.
To qualify for the Paris Paralympic Games, Preethi relocated to New Delhi to train with coach Gajender Singh in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the national capital. She perfected her running techniques with the support of her coach, which resulted in considerable timing gains.
Preethi won her first international medal at the World Para Athletics Championship in 2024, winning bronze medals in the 100m and 200m events.
Source:IANS
