Kapil Parmar made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympics by winning India’s first judo medal, securing bronze in the men’s -60kg J1 class on September 5. The 24-year-old Indian judoka achieved this milestone with a decisive 10-0 victory over Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira at the Champ-de-Mars Arena. Parmar scored an ippon by throwing Oliveira onto the mat, clinching the bronze in the J1 class, which is for athletes with vision impairment.
Hailing from Shivor village in Madhya Pradesh, Kapil’s journey to this achievement was marked by significant challenges. As a child, he suffered a severe electric shock that affected his vision while playing near a water pump. Despite this setback, he continued to train in judo, a sport he began in school before the accident.
Kapil, who is also an Asian Para Games silver medallist, faced financial difficulties in the past and even ran a tea stall to support his dreams. Earlier in the tournament, he defeated Venezuela’s Marcos Dennis Blanco, a World Championships bronze medallist, 10-0 to advance to the semi-finals. However, he missed out on the final after a 10-0 loss to Seyed Meysam Banitaba Khorram Abadi of Iran.
With this bronze medal, India has now won 25 medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, marking their most successful campaign yet with three days still remaining.
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