19-Year-Old Manish Narwal Wins Gold in Paralympics

Indian para-athletes continue to shine at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday, winning another medal. In the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event, Manish Narwal, a 19-year-old shooter, won gold with a Paralympic record score of 218.2.

About the Gold Achiever

Manish Narwal aspired to be a player and represent his country at the international level as a child. However, he was unable to pursue his love due to a congenital condition in his right hand. It was painful, but Manish had his father for support and instruction.

His father, DilbaghNarwal, was a wrestler who understood the value of sports. They started looking for a sport that Manish could participate in and excel in. In 2016, he finally decided to take up shooting.

And the 19-year-old has since established himself as one of the best shooters in the world, setting new records in the process. He’s been fighting against more competent and experienced shooters for years and has always come out on top.

Between 2016 and 2019, the youth won a total of 19 medals in various tournaments. His most notable accomplishments were a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Para Games and three medals at the 2019 World Championships (Sydney).

About the Paralympic Event

The Indian won the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event with a score of 218.2, just days after missing out on a medal in the P1 men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event in his maiden Paralympics. On Saturday, he was in the danger of being eliminated for the second time but fought back with astonishing poise to win the medal that many had predicted for him.

He got off to a slow start and then had to come back with scores of 7.7 and 8.3 on his 17th and 18th shots to stay in contention. He came back with a 10.8 and a 10.5 to reclaim his medal position. It almost felt like a summary of his path to get here. A difficult start, obstacles, but when the chance offered, he grabbed it with his good arm and seized it.