Special Olympics World Summer Games | Indian athletes shine with 50 medals

06/23/2023

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The Indian team's streak of victories at the Special Olympics World Summer Games continued, and they now have 50 medals overall. At the conclusion of the competition, India had accumulated 55 medals in five different sports — athletics, cycling, powerlifting, roller skating, and swimming.

On Wednesday, India won six medals in cycling (3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze), and five medals in swimming (3 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze). Each member of the cycling squad took home a medal, with bronze medalist Neel Yadav in the 5 km road race being the first. Later, in the 1 km time trial, Yadav, Shivani, and Indu Prakash earned gold medals, while Kalpana Jena and Jeyaseela Arbutharaj won silver.

With gold medals from freestyle swimmers Diksha Jitendra Shirgaonkar, Pooja Giridharrao Gaikavada, and Prashaddhi Kamble, as well as Madhav Madan adding another medal to his collection (gold, 25m freestyle), India's medal total in the pool nearly doubled. Sidhanth Murali Kumar took home bronze in the 25m freestyle.

Saket Kundu of Sonepat, among others, took home silver in the small javelin Level B. The Little Angels School student is a multi-sport athlete who has participated in national competitions in table tennis, figure skating, and athletics. When the Games were postponed, Kundu, one of the likelys for the 2023 Special Olympics World Winter Games, missed his opportunity to represent India.

He shrugged off his disappointment and went to the small javelin, a new event at the Berlin World Games, where India earned its first medal.