Para-athlete Navdeep Singh's silver medal was upgraded to gold after Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified in the men's javelin throw F41 final. India has achieved its best-ever return from the Para Games with Navdeep's gold and Simran Sharma's bronze in the women's 200m T12 race. Shot-putter Hokato Sema also secured a bronze in the men's F57 category final with a career-best throw. Fans celebrated the para-athletes' arrival at the Delhi airport with flower showers.
Indian para athlete Simran Sharma won the bronze medal in the women's 200m T12 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. She set a Personal Best time of 24.75 seconds, while Cuba's Elias Omara Durand won gold and Venezuela's Alejandra Pérez took silver. Simran, who was born prematurely and later discovered to be visually impaired, struggled with numerous challenges throughout her life, but still managed to become world champion in 2019.
Iran's Sadeq Beit Sayah has secured the seventh gold medal for the country at the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris, winning the men's javelin throw F41 class. Facing tough competition from various countries, Beit Sayah set a record of 47.64 meters to clinch the gold on Saturday. This adds to the Iranian caravan's overall tally of 10 silver and 7 bronze medals since the start of the games on August 28.
Hokato Hotozhe Sema, a 40-year-old Army Havildar from Nagaland, made his Paralympics debut remarkable by winning the country's 27th medal, a bronze in the shot put event with a personal best of 14.65 metres in his third attempt. Sema's inspiring journey includes losing his left leg in a landmine blast and taking up shot put at the age of 32. Yasin Khosravi from Iran set an all-time Paralympics record to claim the gold medal, while Sema's compatriot Soman Rana put up a solid performance but finished fifth.
After a long wait, India finally clinched a gold medal in the men's Javelin F41 category at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, as Navdeep Singh's silver was upgraded to gold due to the disqualification of Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh. In addition, Simran Sharma's bronze in the women's 200m – T12 event brought the country's medal tally to 29, with seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals. This marks a significant achievement for India in the ongoing para-athletics competition.
Indian para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema won a bronze medal in the shot put F57 final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics on Saturday. Hotozhe’s coach, Rakesh Singh Rawat, commented that the athlete was highly motivated and performed brilliantly in practice sessions, leading to his stellar performance in the final. Hotozhe expressed his gratitude towards his supporters and the Indian Army, who have been a constant source of inspiration for him. Additionally, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced a reward of Rs. 1.5 Crore for the athlete’s outstanding performance.
Defying the odds, shot-putter Hokato Sema from Nagaland became the first athlete from his state to win a Paralympic medal. After losing his leg in a landmine blast while serving in the Army, Sema had to give up his dream of joining the Special Forces. However, a decision to take up shot put in 2016 led to his national and international success, culminating in a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Indian para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema secured a bronze medal in the men's shot put F57 final event at the Paris Paralympics 2024. With a personal best throw of 14.65m, Sema finished third in the event held at the Stade de France. Another Indian athlete, Soman Rana, finished fifth with a best effort of 14.07m. The gold medal was won by world record holder Yasin Khosravi of Iran, while silver went to Thiago Paulino dos Santos of Brazil.
Indian athlete Praveen Kumar made history at the 2024 Paris Paralympics as he secured the gold medal in the men's high jump T64 event. Hailing from Noida, Kumar overcame his moderate movement impairment in one lower leg and outpaced five competitors with a jump of 2.08 meters to clinch the top spot on the podium. This is Kumar's second consecutive Paralympic medal, following his silver at the Tokyo 2021 games, and adds to India's growing success at the 2024 Paralympics. Mentored by renowned coach Dr Satyapal Singh, Kumar's impressive accomplishments also include a gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games and a bronze at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championship.
Deepthi Jeevanji has clinched her first medal at the Paris Paralympic Games in 2024, bringing home a bronze in the women's 400m event. India has been performing well in the games, with this being their first medal in track and field events. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has achieved a series sweep over Pakistan in cricket, something that India has not been able to accomplish against their arch-rivals.