Harvinder Singh, the Indian archer who made history by winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, continues to reap the rewards of his achievement.
He celebrated his 34th birthday three days early by receiving the title of para archer of the year at the Times of India Sports Awards. The glittering ceremony was held on 22 February in Lucknow.
“Honoured to receive the Times of India Sports Award. Grateful for the recognition and thankful to everyone who has supported me on this incredible journey. Here’s to aiming higher and hitting the bullseye every time!” Singh wrote on his Instagram handle.
Sheetal Devi, Aditi Swami and Dhiraj Bommadevara were also named for their remarkable achievements in 2024 as female para archer and archers of the year.
The seventh edition of the Times of the India Sports Awards, more commonly known as TOISA, celebrated the remarkable achievements of India’s elite athletes and organisations, honouring them with prestigious prizes across various categories.
Singh shared the stage with several of the country’s incredible sporting icons, including two-time Paralympic gold medallists Sumit Antil and Avani Lekhara, who received the para sportsperson of the year and female para shooter of the year honours, as well as shooting star Manu Bhaker and chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju sharing the prestigious sportsperson of the year titles.
The athlete’s historic gold medal win at the Paris Paralympics was not his first notable achievement. He already held a bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020, which was India’s first medal in archery at either Games. Prior to that, he achieved another historic first at the Asian Para Games, winning the individual gold in Indonesia in 2018.
In 2021, Singh became the first para archer in history to be recognised with the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest sporting honour, acknowledging athletes’ outstanding achievements in sports. Last month, he became the first Indian para archer to receive the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award, after the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan.
Singh highlighted the support of the Indian government and organisations that have stepped in to support emerging para athletes.
“The Paralympic medals were a big boost to the confidence of the nation’s emerging para archers, who train together with the top archers,” he said. “And with the support from Indian government and various sponsors, they are even motivated to win medals for the nation. This was already witnessed at the Asia Para Cup in Bangkok.”
In 2023, Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi won the male and female para archer of the year awards, while fellow archers Ojas Deotale, Jyothi Vennam and Aditi Swami had also been honoured in the sixth edition.
