Murlikant rajaram petkar

Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet: As the largest-ever Indian contingent left the country for Paris to participate in the upcoming 2024 Paralympic Games starting on August 28, all of the participants will be dreaming of winning the biggest prize in their respective sports discipline -- a gold medal.

The contingent is expected to break the record for India's best-ever medal haul in Paris 2024 with Paralympic Committee of India President Devendra Jhajharia, himself a two-time gold medallist in javelin throw at the Games, predicting the country to bag more than 25 medals. India is hoping to improve on the 19 medals won in the 2020 Games in Tokyo, which included five gold.

While members of the 84-strong contingent gunning for gold medals at the Games, many of them may not be aware of the person who launched these billion dreams -- India's first gold medallist at the Paralympic Games.