Khelo India Para Games 2025: Powerlifters Seema Rani, Jhandu Kumar break National Records
Khelo India Para Games 2025: Powerlifters Seema Rani, Jhandu Kumar break National Records
Powerlifters Seema Rani of Punjab registered a lift of 97 kg in the women’s elite 61 kg category while Jhandu Kumar of Bihar lifted 206 kg in the men’s elite 72kg category to create two new National Records on the fifth day of the Khelo India Para Games 2025.
Seema told SAI Media, “It feels great to set up the new national record and win gold medals in back-to-back Khelo India Para Games. I thank SAI for making world-class arrangements for athletes because without them it is difficult to focus and compete well.”
Hailing from Bihar, Jhandu Kumar started his powerlifting journey in 2014. The 28-year-old para lifter has still not made his debut for India but hopes to change that soon. “Khelo India Para Games is a great platform for para athletes. I had won silver earlier in 2023. It feels great to have converted the silver to gold now,” he said.
The Paralympians ruled the roost at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range as Paris 2024 bronze medallist Mona Agarwal struck gold in the Mixed 50m prone SH1 with a score of 243.3. She had already won two silvers in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH 1 and the mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2 categories.
On the penultimate day of para shooting, Rajasthan’s Nihal Singh, who also qualified for Paris Paralympics, was dominant in the mixed 25m pistol SH1 event, retaining his gold from the first edition of the Khelo India Para Games held in December 2023.
At the time of writing, 160 medals had been decided with Haryana leading the standings with 29 golds. Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan followed with 24 and 22 gold medals, respectively.
