Paris, Aug 30 (IANS): After making history by becoming the first Indian female sprinter to win a medal in the Paralympic Games, Preethi Pal said she is still unable to believe that she won a medal and thanked her coach and family for the support which eventually helped her claim bronze in Women's 100 - T35 on Friday.
The 23-year-old Preethi finished third in the final with a time of 14.21 seconds, which is also her personal best. China's World Record-holder Zhou Xia won gold in 13.58 seconds while her compatriot Guo Qianqian took silver in 13.74 seconds.
A bronze medallist in the World Para Athletics Championship 2024, Preethi has won gold medals in both the Indian Open Para Athletics International Championship (2024) and the National Para Athletics Championship (2024. She had narrowly missed a place on the podium in the 2022 Asian Para Games at Hangzhou last year finishing fourth.
However, on Friday the 23-year-old who hails from Muzaffarnagar, U.P, could not be denied her place in the spotlight and fulfilled her dream, coming up with a superb performance as she achieved her best timing ever to win the bronze medal.
"It has not sunk in till now that I have won the medal as this was my first Paralympic Games. I had never expected to win a medal in my first Paralympic Games," said Preethi after finishing third in her event.
"I am feeling very proud of my performance for winning the first medal by a female athlete in the Paralympics," said Preethi.
The sprinter from Muzaffarnagar, U.P. thanked her family, her coach Gajender Singh and her family for motivating her.
"I would like to thank my coach, my friend Simran and my family for their support and blessings. Everyone was saying that winning a medal was not possible but these people encouraged me a lot and kept me motivated. It is unbelievable for them that I have won this medal," said Preethi in a video interview provided by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) on Friday.
Preethi will again be stepping on the Stade de France race track in a couple of days for the Women's 200m - T35 and will be hoping to make more history by becoming the first Indian female athlete to win multiple medals in the same Paralympic Games.