Three students from Chandigarh University are representing India at the Paris Paralympic Games 2024, which is underway since August 28 and concludes on September 8. Bringing laurels both to CU and India, Aruna Tanwar in taekwondo, Palak Kohli in badminton and Yash Kumar in kayaking delivered back-to-back power-packed performances in national and international sports competitions, to secure berths in the Indian contingent of 84 athletes (the largest ever) for the Paris Paralympic Games.
Paralympian and Chandigarh University (CU) student, Aruna Tanwar, won the gold medal at the Asian Para Taekwondo Qualifiers Championship held in Tai’an, China, in March 2024, securing her berth for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Tanwar is representing India at the Paralympics for the second time; riding on her power-packed performances, she had made a wild card entry at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020.
Earlier, Aruna Tanwar, who participates in the K43 category (athletes with an impairment or amputation of both arms below the elbow), bagged the gold medal in the women’s 47 kg weight category, during the Asian Paralympics tournament. A farmer’s daughter from a small village in Haryana, Aruna Tanwar has consistently demonstrated exceptional skills in taekwondo, leaving a mark with her impeccable game sense and powerful performances.
She had her life-changing moment when she qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 as the first-ever para taekwondo player from India. Prior to this, Aruna won bronze medals at the 5th Asian Para Open Taekwondo Championship and 8th World Para Taekwondo Championships in 2019, respectively.
In 2018, Aruna bagged a gold at Kimunyong International Para Taekwondo Open. Additionally, she secured silver medals in the 4th Asian Para Taekwondo Championships and the 3rd WT President’s Cup Asian Region Para Taekwondo Championships, held in the same year. Continuing her impressive streak, Aruna — on February 16, 2023 — won another silver medal at the Egypt Para Taekwondo Championship held in Cairo, Egypt.
Palak Kohli, 22, a badminton prodigy and student of BBA at Chandigarh University, who will be representing India at the Paralympics, won the bronze medal at the World Para Badminton Championship at Pattaya, in February 2024, and is all set to showcase her sporting prowess at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Kohli also won the gold medal at BWF Dubai Para Badminton. She also won the gold medal and silver medal at the National Para Badminton Championship held in March 2024. Twenty two-year-old Kohli, who originally hails from Jalandhar, has been playing badminton from the age of 16, honed her sporting skills at Chandigarh University and went on to win medals on national and international platforms.
Yash Kumar, 23, a para kayaking sensation and student of BA (1st year) at Chandigarh University, will represent India for the first time at the Paralympic Games. Yash, who is a native of Madhya Pradesh, will represent India in the Men’s Single 200 metres in the KL1 category (paracanoe paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function).
Delivering an emphatic performance, Yash won the gold medal and silver medal at the Asian Para Kayaking Championship held in Japan, in April 2024, securing a berth in the Indian contingent for the Paralympic Games in Paris. Earlier, Yash won the bronze medal at the Asian Para Kayaking Championship in 2023. He attained 4th place at the Asian Championship in 2022 and participated in the World Para Kayaking Championship. He has won three gold medals in National Para Kayaking Championships and 8 medals, in total, in different national and international competitions.
Earlier, five students from Chandigarh University represented India at the Paris Olympics 2024.
