Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated the athletes of the Indian contingent that performed brilliantly at the recently concluded Deaflympics and said he would host the entire delegation at his residence on May 21. Prime Minister added that every athlete of the contingent is an inspiration for fellow Indians.
Deaflympics 2021 was held between May 1-May 15 at Festa Da Uva Main Pavilion in Southern Brazils city of Caxias do Sul. Around 2,100 athletes from 72 countries took part in the quadrennial event. The Indian contingent comprised 65 athletes, the largest ever sent by India in a Deaflympic event that competed in 11 sports, winning eight gold medals, one silver, and seven bronze. This was India’s highest medal tally at the Deaflympics. The most number of medals were picked by the shooting team-three gold and two bronze. India claimed the 9th position in the medal table. The previous richest medal haul for India came in 1993 when they bagged five gold and two bronze at Sofia.
Five out of the eleven sports that India won medals in were shooting, badminton, tennis, golf, and wrestling. The remaining six sports that India took part in were athletics, golf, judo, karate, table tennis, and taekwondo. Jerlin Jayaratchagan won three gold medals at the event, making her the fiercest competitor from India.
