The 275-member strong Indian contingent made the country proud by pocketing 173 medals at the Special Olympic World Summer Games 2015 in Los Angeles. The athletes, who competed under the banner of Special Olympics Bharat, bagged 47 gold medals, 54 silver and 72 bronze pieces 14 disciplines during the nine-day event that ended 2 August.

From among the 6,500 athletes from 177 countries across the globe, the Indian squad comprised 275 athletes and coaches, who competed in 25 disciplines. Of the 173, 7 were mainly contributed by the differently-abled sportspeople from the Delhi-run Asha Kiran Home, who bagged 3 gold and 4 bronze.

Narendra Modi congratulates Indian contingent:

The performance of the Indian athletes have been lauded by one and all, especially the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who congratulated the team on Twitter:

Achievements of Indian contingent at @LA2015@SpecialOlympics are truly gladdening. They are India’s pride. http://t.co/LECxugcD0n

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 4, 2015

The @LA2015@SpecialOlympics were a triumph of determination, hardwork & sportsman spirit. Congratulations to all athletes who participated.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 4, 2015

Ranveer Singh Saini’s Gold was the highlight after the young autistic golfer created history by giving India their first top podium finish in the sport. Phoolan Devi won the first gold for India in power-lifting (bench press) as maximum Golds (47) came from the athletes.

Facts about Special Olympics:

• The Games were held in Los Angeles from July 25 to August 2. It had competitions in 25 disciplines.
• The Indian contingent comprised 275 athletes and coaches in 14 disciplines.
• Roller skating athletes won 39 medals — 10 gold, 17 silver and 12 bronze.
• Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
• In 1988, International Olympics Committee recognised Special Olympics

“They shine every time, and they have shone this year too. We are pleased with the performance, the medal tally has improved. They have bagged 173 from 150 something last time around, so we are extremely proud of what they have achieved,” Mukta Narain Thind, Special Olympics Bharat’s national director (organisation development) said.

“Next is the winter Olympics in Austria in 2017 which will be our main focus. The athletes will start training from October this year,” she said.