2024 was an exceptionally eventful year for Indian sport. At the end of the year, ESPN India picks ten images that tell the story of the most stunning moments we witnessed in the last 12 months. Our last and final pick is a not just a moment, but a whole day – one of the greatest in the history of Indian sport.

This year we witnessed one of the greatest days in Indian sporting history play out on 2nd September – when India won 8 medals in a span of 12 hours at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

That’s right, 8 medals on a single day. A sum of 2 golds, 3 silvers, 3 bronzes. In just one day, India had won as many medals as they had across all Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2016. One day’s haul = 28 years’ tally. Incredibly, these were 8 medals won out of a whopping 14 medal chances.

To put it simply – Indian sports fans don’t often get days like this. Or ever.

The frequency with which Indians were in medal contention on just one day was enough to keep those of us covering the action live back home on our toes (or fingertips.) The frenzy of victories, especially once the badminton medal matches began with a marathon thriller gold, was the most potent form of sports-watching adrenaline rush. There is not much more you can ask as an Indian sports fan than such a consistent, commanding performance on the biggest of stages.

And it wasn’t just the plethora of podium finishes that made this day memorable. It was the dominant, confident, resilient, and even record-breaking manner, which these Indians reached there that made it such an extraordinary feat.

There was Sumit Antil, India’s most successful javelin thrower at the Paralympics, becoming the first Indian man to defend his Paralympic gold. Doing so smashing his own record twice and having the best 3 throws of the night. A Sumit Antil vs Sumit Antil battle which was defined by him pushing his limits.

There was Sheetal Devi, the teenaged armless archer who became the symbol of the Paralympic spirit via social media virality, winning her first medal with wheelchair-bound veteran Rakesh Kumar. Both bouncing back from heartbreak in their individual events and a semifinal loss, shooting four perfect 10 arrows to win in the most intense of circumstances by a single point.

And between these two was a spectrum of success stories that defined India’s changing sports-scape and redefined para-sports’ place in its discourse. This day was the foundation of India’s most successful campaign that shattered all previous records with a haul of 29 medals in one edition. Something never seen before, well above the ambitious target of 25.

This also felt like the day that shifted the spotlight on the sporting achievements of these athletes, and not just their adversity which led them to para-sport. Their stories were more than the accidents and illnesses that affected then, there were about the composure they showed in the shoot-off or the terrific shots on the badminton court.

Since the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where Indian contingent won four medals – their best haul then – and received considerable visibility and media coverage, para-sports in India has been on an impressively upward trajectory. The 2nd of September was its peak… and also the platform to show just how much higher it can leap.

For the Paralympics to have got us one of give one of the best days of Indian sport in a year that had Olympics and saw an Indian become the chess world champion is telling.