Silver lining! Preethi Pal wins second silver at Asian Para Games with dash double
NEW DELHI: India’s Preethi Pal continued her spectacular run on the Asian Para Games 2026, clinching her second silver medal of the continental occasion with a runner-up end within the ladies’s 100m T35 race on Wednesday.Preethi clocked 13.98 seconds to safe silver, including to the medal she gained within the ladies’s 200m T35 occasion on Tuesday. The double podium end additional underlined the Indian para-athlete’s consistency on the observe.
From rural Uttar Pradesh to the global podium
Preethi has overcome vital bodily challenges to ascertain herself amongst India’s main para-athletes. Born right into a farmer’s household in rural Uttar Pradesh, she confronted difficulties from delivery due to weak point in her legs and an irregular leg posture.Her legs have been plastered for six days after she was born, and he or she underwent conventional therapies in an effort to strengthen them. At the age of 5, she started carrying callipers, which she continued to make use of for eight years.Her introduction to para-sports got here on the age of 17, when movies of the Paralympic Games on social media sparked her curiosity in athletics. Her journey gained momentum after she met Paralympian and mentor Fathima Khatoon, who inspired her to compete at district, state and nationwide ranges.Preethi made her global debut on the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2023 earlier than making a significant breakthrough on the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, the place she gained bronze medals in each the 100m and 200m occasions.
Paralympic medals and rising document
Preethi additional enhanced her repute on the Paris Paralympics in 2024, successful bronze medals within the ladies’s 100m and 200m T35 occasions. She grew to become the primary Indian lady to win two track-and-field medals at a single Paralympic Games.Her achievements additionally embody a silver and three bronze medals on the World Para Athletics Championships, 4 gold medals at Indian Open tournaments and a gold on the New Delhi Grand Prix.With two silver medals already secured on the Asian Para Games, Preethi has added one other vital chapter to her profession, demonstrating the resilience and consistency which have marked her rise in global para-athletics.
