India's heroes at the 2016 Rio Paralympic games

India's Paralmpians fared better than its main Olympic squad, winning for medals vs the latter's two

India performed spectacularly at the Rio Paralympic games, claiming their best ever haul of four medals, including two golds, a silver and a bronze medal, ooutpacing their Olympic counterparts, who just managed two medals in the Rio 2016 and delivered India's worst performance in 12 years.

Business Standard brings you four incredible Paralympian medalists, who redefined the boundaries of possibility with their spirit and performances:

1. Devendra Jhajhariya

Devendra Jhajharia, the 35-year-old Paralympian, became the first Indian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics after he broke his own world record to clinch the top honours in the men's javelin throw F46 category in Rio 2016.

Jhajharia, whose previous best was 62.15 metres (achieved in the 2004 Athens games, improved the mark with an attempt of 63.97 metres at the Olympic Stadium.

The one-armed thrower from Rajasthan’s Churu district, who became India’s first individual Paralympic gold medallist at the Athens Games in 2004, couldn’t compete in the next two Paralympics because his category was not a part of the the 2008 Beijing games and 2012 London games.

His arm had to be amputated after a severe electric shock at the age of eight. His success as a javelin thrower – made tougher against the backdrop of financial disabilities – is testament to his willpower and physical prowess. The former Indian Railways staffer, booked his berth at the Rio Paralympics after clinching the silver medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships in 2015.

2. Mariyappan Thangavelu

In March 2016 at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Grand Prix in Tunisia, Mariyappan Thangavelu cleared a distance of 1.78m in the men’s high jump T42 event had won the gold medal and comfortably achieved the A-Qualification Standard of 1.60 for the Rio Paralympics.

He was five when an accident in his village of Periavadagampatti, some 50km from Salem in Tamil Nadu left him with a permanent disability. A bus ran over his right leg, crushing it below the knee and leaving it stunted for life. Never seeing himself as different from able-bodied kids, however, he continued to participate in competitive sports.

In 2013, his current coach Satyanarayana first spotted him at the National Para-Athletics Championships and two years later took him under his wing, bringing him to Bengaluru to train for Rio.

Interestingly, he won the silver medal winner at the World Championships where he jumped a distance of 1.78m has given the 20-year-old Salemian-lad belief that he can get a medal in Rio.

3. Deepa Malik

The 45-year old Deepa Malik, was the oldest member of India's contingent in Rio, and become the first Indian female Paralympian to win a medal at the games. Malik is also the current Asian record holder in the javelin throw, and won silver in the shot put and discus throw events at the 2011 World Championships.

Deepa, a mother of two and wife of an Army officer, is a paraplegic, paralysed from the waist down as a result of a spinal tumour. The spinal tumour had to be operated and 31 surgeries were conducted on Deepa, who has 183 stitches between her waist and legs.

News agency IANS has quoted Malik her as saying: "I want to use this medal to support women with disabilities in India. This journey has been wonderful for me and my entire family, I am proud to be the oldest athlete in the team and win a medal."

4. Varun Bhati

The 21-year old Varun Bhati, who hails from Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh and trained at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bangalore, has polio in one leg. He had won the gold at the 2014 China Open Athletics Championship, and finished fifth at the 2014 Para Asian Games in Incheon (South Korea) and 2015 Para World Championships in Doha (Qatar). He had also achieved the 'A' qualification mark for the 2012 London Paralympics, with a performance of 1.60m, but failed to make the cut to London 2012

Bhati also became India’s leading jumper, when he recorded a jump of 1.82m at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships, winning the gold and made a new Asian record. He was among the shining stars of the 19-member Indian contingent that has travelled to Rio and was the number two ranked athlete in his category.