Preeti Pal won a bronze medal in the Women’s 100m T35 event at the Paris Paralympics, marking India’s first athletics medal at the games. The 23-year-old sprinter clocked a personal best time of 14.21 seconds to secure third place at the Stade de France on Friday. China’s Zhou Xia, who holds the world record, won the gold medal with a time of 13.58 seconds, while her fellow national Guo Qianqian took silver with 13.74 seconds.

Preeti, who hails from a farmer’s family in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, faced significant physical challenges from birth, including weak legs and an irregular leg posture. She wore callipers for eight years and faced doubts about her survival due to her condition. Inspired by Paralympic Games videos at the age of 17, she began training in para-sports. Her mentor, Paralympian Fathima Khatoon, encouraged her to compete, and she later moved to New Delhi to train under coach Gajender Singh, refining her running techniques.

Preeti’s hard work paid off when she won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m events at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championship. At the Paris Paralympics, her strong performance in the 100m event fulfilled her dream of winning a medal. She will next compete in the 200m event, aiming for another medal in her debut Paralympics.