What Promise Did Preethi Pal Make to Her Father Before Her Paralympic Bronze?

Preethi Pal made a promise to her father, and she kept it. According to an exclusive interview with ThePrint, the vow traces back to 2022, when she finished fourth at the Asian Para Games — just outside the medals. She told her father then that she would win a medal, specifically so the family could properly arrange her elder sister’s wedding.

What did finishing fourth in 2022 set in motion?

A near-miss became a turning point. Preethi Pal has said that coming fourth at the 2022 Asian Para Games was the moment she made her promise to her father — not a vague ambition, but a concrete deal tied to a family milestone still waiting to happen.

What happened at the Paris 2024 Paralympics?

She delivered on it twice over. Preethi Pal won bronze medals in both the women’s 100m and 200m T35 events at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, becoming the first Indian woman to earn two medals in track and field at either the Paralympics or the Olympics. She competes in the T35 classification, for athletes with cerebral palsy, and was born on 22 September 2000 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

What will the medals mean for her sister’s wedding?

Money that was missing before is now in reach. Preethi Pal told ThePrint that her state government awards Rs 2 crore per Paralympic medal — meaning her two bronzes total Rs 4 crore. She said she plans to use that award to help with her sister’s marriage, and to buy her sister a car.

Why does this story matter beyond the medal count?

Because it reframes what the bronze was for. Preethi Pal’s Paralympic run wasn’t just a personal athletic milestone — by her own account to ThePrint, it was the fulfillment of a promise made two years earlier, aimed squarely at something her family had been waiting on. The medals made the history books; the money, she said, was meant for her sister.

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