Manish Narwal broke the Paralympic record to win India’s third gold medal at the present Tokyo Olympics, while countrymen Singhraj Adana took silver, giving India a spectacular one-two finish on Saturday.

India now has 15 medals, including three golds, seven silvers, and five bronzes from the Faridabad pair.

In his first Games, the 19-year-old Narwal, who owns the world record in the category, shot a total of 218.2, a Paralympic record, to win gold in the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event.

“I’m very happy,” said Manish Narwal who hails from Ballabgarh, Haryana.

Narwal has always loved sports and aspired to be a football player since he was a child. Due to a congenital condition in his right hand, he was unable to pursue his football goals.

Dilbagh, his wrestler father, did everything he could to ensure that his son’s disability did not keep him back.

Dilbagh accompanied Narwal to a neighboring shooting range in Ballabhgarh run by coach Rakesh Thakur in 2016, on the advice of a family friend. Narwal’s life was forever transformed after that, and he became enthralled with the sport and began practicing on a regular basis.

However, he was unaware of the Paralympic Games at the time, and he was simply training and participating with other competitors for fun.

Coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal recognized his skill, and Narwal won an individual gold medal in the P1 Air Pistol SH1 event at the 2017 Bangkok World Cup. He earned a gold medal in P1 and a silver medal in P4 at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta.

On Tuesday, the 39-year-old Adana, who had won bronze in the P1 men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event, earned silver to his bag with a score of 216.7, as India extended its medal-winning streak in the sport. With his achievement, Adana, who participates with polio-impaired lower limbs, joins a select group of Indians who have won several medals in the same Olympics.

“Every shot is very difficult. One shot is very important, so my coach always says ‘Singhraj, Manish, only one shot, one shot fired’,” Adana said of the final shoot-off between him and Narwal.

“The final was very difficult. I decided (when I was) in third position, Singhraj, good, please, stop, breathe, stop, OK. And one shot, only one shot, please. No other thought, my mind is slow. And go again.”

“My hat is a present from my wife, therefore my very lucky hat,” Adana said in an interview.

He is from a poor family in Faridabad. His grandpa was a member of the country’s independence struggle and served in the British Indian Army during WWII. Prem Singh, Adana’s father, is a farmer and a social worker.

At an early age, Adana became involved in many social concerns such as underprivileged children’s education and disabled people’s rights. While bringing his nephew to a shooting range at the age of 35, he developed an interest in shooting. He was immediately captivated and decided to participate in the sport.

He used to drive 40 kilometres up and down between his house and the shooting range.

Subhash Rana, the national coach, took him under his wing. Desperate to resume training during the lockdown, Adana built a shooting range at his home after sketching out the design in one night. According to The Times Of India.