Preethi Pal wins bronze in T35 100m for India's first track medal at Paralympics
Paris, Aug 30: Preethi Pal won India's first athletics medal in a Paralympics track event as she clinched a bronze in the women's T35 100m competition with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds at the Paris Games on Friday.
All the athletics medals India had won since the 1984 edition of the Paralympics have come from field events.
The 23-year-old Preethi, a farmer's daughter from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, opened India's athletics medal account on the second day of competitions.
Preethi had come to Paris after winning a bronze in the same event at the World Para Athletics Championships in May.
China's Zhou Xia (13.58) and Guo Qianqian (13.74) won the gold and silver respectively.
"More glory for India as Preeti Pal wins a Bronze medal in the 100m T35 event at the #Paralympics2024. Congratulations to her. This success will certainly motivate budding athletes," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
The result was a repeat of the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, as the same Chinese runners Xia and Qianqian had won gold and silver there too.
T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.
"This was my first Paralympics and I am still yet to believe that I have won a medal," she said.
"I am feeling proud that I have won India's first track medal in the Paralympics."
Preethi will also compete in the T35 200m event in which she also won a bronze in World Para Athletics Championships.
She was born to a farmer's family in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. She faced significant physical challenges when she was born as her lower body was plastered for six days after birth. Weak legs and an irregular leg posture made her prone to various diseases.
She underwent various traditional treatments to strengthen her legs, including wearing calipers for eight years from the age of five.
At 17, Preethi's perspective began to change when she watched the Paralympic Games on social media. But her life-changing moment came when she met Paralympic athlete Fatima Khatoon, who introduced her to para-athletics.
With Fatima's support, Preethi competed in the state championships and national events from 2018 onwards. She qualified for the Asian Para Games last year in China, where she finished fourth in both the 100m and 200m sprints.
She moved to Delhi to train under coach Gajender Singh and fine tuned her running techniques, leading to her winning a bronze medal each in 100m and 200m in World Para Athletics Championships.
She also received out of pocket allowance under Target Olympic Podium Scheme of the government and other financial assistance for training and competition.
BRONZE 🥉 For INDIA 🇮🇳
— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) August 30, 2024
🏃♀️ Preethi Pal wins bronze medal in the Women's 100m T35 Final.#Paris2024 #Cheer4Bharat #Paralympics2024 #ParaAthletics @mansukhmandviya @MIB_India @PIB_India @IndiaSports @ParalympicIndia @PCI_IN_Official @Media_SAI @AkashvaniAIR @DDNational… pic.twitter.com/igEYUhtpmu
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Allu Arjun didn't leave theatre despite being told about woman's death: Hyderabad police
Hyderabad, Dec 22: Top Telugu actor Allu Arjun did not leave the theatre during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' on December 4 despite being told to do so in view of a stampede in which a woman died, police officials claimed on on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference on the annual round-up of 2024, city police commissioner C V Anand showed a video, made by police, on the situation that prevailed when the stampede occurred.
The video was made by collating footage, including from news channels and cell phone clips. It suggests the actor remained in the theatre till the midnight.
Anand did not make any comment on the video, but said the media can draw its own conclusions.
A police official talked about the sequence of events on the fateful night of December 4.
He said that he and other police officials informed a manager of Allu Arjun about the death of the woman and told him that the situation was out of control. He indicated that they were not allowed to meet the actor.
Allu Arjun's staff members told them that they would convey the matter to the actor but did not do so, he said.
The official said he later managed to reach the actor, told him about the woman's death and asked him to leave the theatre so that the fans don't harm each other while trying to catch a glimpse of him.
The official also told the actor that security arrangements would be made for his exit.
However, the actor said he would go only after watching the film, the police official said.
Later, accompanied by a senior officer, the official went inside and brought the actor out, he said.
Amid allegations that bouncers hired by Allu Arjun pushed crowds as well as policemen when the stampede occurred at the cinema hall, the police commissioner warned that stringent action as per law would be taken if THE bouncers indeed misbehaved with the police on duty.
The VIPs would be made responsible for the behaviour of the bouncers hired by them, he said.
Asked if the police would appeal against the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun, the commissioner refused to give a direct response, just saying it is part of the investigation.
What course of action is taken would be known in the days to come, he said.
He also declined to comment when asked if the family of the deceased told him about Allu Arjun's team or film production team allegedly threatening them not to speak on the issue.
Meanwhile, state Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy found fault with Allu Arjun responding on Saturday to the debate in the Legislative Assembly.
The minister, who observed that the actor should have respect for the government and the chief minister, demanded an apology from Allu Arjun to the government and the CM.
"This government is never vindictive. As Cinematography Minister, we allowed benefit shows and hiking ticket prices to promote the film industry," he said.
However, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar found fault with CM Revanth Reddy for his comments on Allu Arjun in the Assembly on Saturday.
The comments of the CM sounded like character assassination of Allu Arjun and hurting the Telugu film industry, he alleged in a statement.
Later in the day, Sanjay Kumar visited a boy who is undergoing treatment in a hospital after being injured in the stampede.
"Consoled his father over the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Revathi. I pray to god that Sritej recovers at the earliest. Assured support to the family in this difficult time," Kumar said on X.
Earlier in the day, state DGP Jitender told reporters in Karimnagar district that film personalities and all others should understand that safety and security of citizens is utmost important, and also conduct themselves accordingly.
