Paris: Kapil Parmar secured India’s first Paralympic medal in judo, earning a bronze in the men’s 60kg (J1) category by convincingly defeating Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira in the final on Thursday.
Parmar delivered an outstanding performance, overpowering his opponent throughout to secure a 10-0 victory in the bronze medal match.
Earlier, he was defeated by S Banitaba Khorram Abadi in the semifinals, with a 0-10 loss to the Iranian competitor at the Champs-de-mart arena.
The J1 classification in para judo includes athletes with no or very low visual acuity. Competitors in this class are identified by red circles, signalling the need for guided assistance before, during, and after matches.
Previously, Parmar claimed a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the same division and defeated Venezuela’s Marco Dennis Blanco with a 10-0 score in the quarterfinals.
However, Parmar received a yellow card in both of his matches on Thursday. In judo, yellow cards are issued for minor infractions such as passivity or employing a potentially hindering or injurious technique.