Paralympics 2016: Vijay Goel requests PM Narendra Modi to meet Indian para-athletes after event

New Delhi: Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Tuesday said he has requested the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet India’s paralympic athletes after their stupendous show at the Rio Paralympics. “The success of para athletes at #Paralympics has made #India proud. I requested PM .@narendramodi to meet & encourage them once they return,” Goel wrote on his Twitter handle.  

The success of para athletes at #Paralympics has made #India proud. I requested PM .@narendramodi to meet & encourage them once they return.

— Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) September 13, 2016

  The Indian paralympic team has so far won an impressive tally of three medals in Rio de Janeiro. India has clinched a gold in the men’s high jump event and a bronze in the same discipline. A silver came soon after in the shot put event, along with another record – the first Indian para-athlete woman to win a medal in the games. Mariyappan Thangavelu, the 20-year-old from Tamil Nadu, won India's third-ever gold medal in the Paralympics and became the first para-athlete to win in the men’s high jump T-42 event. Varun Singh Bhati won the bronze medal in the same event. 45-year-old Deepa Malik then brought the silver home in the shot put F-53 final. Modi had met members of the Indian Olympic contingent at a function in New Delhi in July, wishing them luck ahead of the Rio mega-event that took place between 5-21 August. Despite fielding its largest-ever contingent, the Indians returned with just two medals — PV Sindhu’s silver in women’s singles badminton and Sakshi Malik’s bronze in women’s freestyle wrestling.