Jerlin named India’s flagbearer in Tokyo Summer Games
India is sending a record 111-member contingent to the Deaflympics
Hyderabad: Jerlin Jayaratchagan, who has won three gold medals at the Deaflympics, will be India’s flag bearer at the upcoming Summer Games in Tokyo from November 15-26.
India is sending a record 111-member contingent to the Deaflympics.
The Indian contingent was given a warm send-off by the Secretary of Sports, Government of India, Hari Ranjan Rao, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday. The official kit of the Indian contingent was also revealed. The first batch of Indians will leave for Tokyo on Thursday (November 13).
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, in a message to the Indian contingent, said: “India’s rapid progress in global events for special athletes is something to be proud of. As part of our endeavour to promote inclusivity and foster healthy outreach through sports, we are extremely happy to send the biggest-ever Indian squad to the Deaflympics.”
India will take part in 11 disciplines – athletics, badminton, golf, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling and tennis. The Deaflympics are conducted by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD).
Three-time gold medalist Jerlin will be India’s flag-bearer at the Deaflympics 2025. Tokyo will be Jerlin’s third Deaflympics. The Madurai girl played her first Deaflympics in 2017 when she was 13. Jerlin went on to create history at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics (held in 2022 in Brazil) by winning three gold medals in women’s singles, mixed doubles in Badminton, and the team event. Her outstanding achievements earned her the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2022, making her the first Indian woman Deaflympian to receive this honour.
“Being chosen as the flagbearer is a moment of great pride and emotion for me. This is my third Deaflympics, but the first time I’ll be leading my country with the flag — it feels truly special. It represents years of hard work, dedication, and the honour of carrying not just the flag, but the dreams of every athlete on our team. I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity,” said Jerlin.
There will be a lot of expectation from rifle shooter Dhanush Srikanth from Hyderabad.
“I feel very happy that I can represent my country at the Deaflympics for the second time. The last Deaflympics were good for me as I was able to win two gold medals for India. I hope to do my best to repeat the performance this time around, too,” said the 23-year-old Dhanush.
In the last Deaflympics 2021 held in Caxias Do Sul in Brazil, in May 2022, India was represented by 39 male and 26 female athletes. India won a best-ever 16 medals – eight gold, 1 silver and seven bronze to finish 9th among 77 participating nations.
