New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS): The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has appointed Paralympic medalist Rajinder Singh Rahelu as a coach at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala.

Rahelu, a former powerlifter, is presently working with the Punjab Sports Department. He will start coaching para-athletes at the NIS by the end of this month, the SAI announced in a release on Tuesday.

The 42-year-old took a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens in the 56 kg category. It was the first powerlifting medal for India at the Paralympics.

He also represented the country at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, finishing fifth in the final standings. The Arjuna Award recipient also featured at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.

Rahelu, who hails from Mehsampur village in Punjab's Jalandhar district, also won gold at the Asian Bench Press Championships in 2002 and a silver at the World Games in 2007.

He took silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year after moving to the heavyweight category.