Deaflympics 2025: Jerlin Jayaratchagan to Lead India's Record 111-Member Squad

The Indian contingent was given a warm send-off by the Secretary of Sports, 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.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, 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," as quoted from a release by SAI.

"Every year our medal count has been increasing and I am very sure that we will even do better than Brazil. But as I always say, it's not about how many medals we win. It's about competing with the best and giving your 100%. I wish each athlete and the support staff good luck," he added.

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). The Deaflympics, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, are the second oldest international multi-sporting event in the world.

"We proudly celebrate the Global Deaf Sports movement, which has completed 100 years of inspiring athletes worldwide! India is honored to be part of this journey, having joined CISS (Comite International des Sports des Sourds) in 1963 and making its debut at the 10th World Games of the Deaf in Washington. With the establishment of AISCD in 1965 and recognition from the Government of India in 1969, we've been striving to empower deaf athletes. As we gear up for the 25th Deaflympics, we're proud to showcase India's talent and spirit on the global stage," said G Suresh Kumar, the secretary-general of the All India Sports Council for the Deaf.

Three-time gold medalist Jerlin will be India's flag-bearer at 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.

India will be hoping to win medals from shooting range, again. 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.

- ANI