India’s Navdeep won a silver medal by finishing second in the men’s javelin throw final (F41) of the Paris Paralympics on Saturday, while visually impaired Indian sprinter Simran won a bronze medal in the women’s 200 meters (T12) event at the Paralympic Games. Reigning world champion Simran finished third on the podium with a personal best timing of 24.75 seconds. The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for visually impaired athletes. Navdeep equaled the Paralympic record with a throw of 47.32 meters in his third attempt. But Iran’s Beit Sadegh made the Paralympic record by throwing 47.64 meters. He finished fourth in the men’s javelin throw F41 category at the 2020 Paralympics.
Twenty-four-year-old Simran was born prematurely. He spent 10 weeks in an incubator where he was diagnosed with visual impairment. The Indian, who became world champion in Kobe, Japan this year, has faced many challenges throughout her life, including her father’s chronic illness and eventual demise. She had earlier finished fourth in the 100 meters event.
Athlete Navdeep, who left wrestling due to a waist injury and took up javelin throw, started with a foul in the final. Although his throw reached beyond 45 meters, he could not keep his body within the line after throwing and his throw was considered illegal.
With the medals of Navdeep and Simran, India’s total medal tally has increased to 29 which includes 6 gold, 10 silver and 13 bronze medals. With this, India also recorded its best performance at one stage of the Paralympic Games and is expected to improve further.
