Paris: There was no stopping India’s inspired run at the Paralympic Games with javelin thrower Navdeep Singh striking an unparalleled gold in the F41 classification and visually impaired sprinter Simran clinching the women’s 200m (T12) bronze here on Saturday.
Navdeep, who competes in the classification meant for athletes of short stature, originally ended with a silver after he upstaged world record holder Sun Pengxiang of China with a 47.32m throw.
However, that was upgraded to an unprecedented gold after Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flag. Pengxiang (44.72m) finished with a silver.
Sayah had managed to nose ahead of the field with a new Paralympic record of 47.64m in his penultimate throw but lost the medal owing to his antics.
The International Paralympic Committee rules bar athletes from making any political gestures at the event and Sayah was thrown out of the final results for unsporting/improper conduct.
Navdeep, who hails from Panipat which is the home town of two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, said he was inspired by the superstar to pick the sport.
“When Neeraj bhai broke the junior world record, I thought, he is also from our town and I could also do it,” he said.
At the same venue, Simran, accompanied by her guide Abhay Singh, clocked an impressive personal best of 24.75sec to finish with a bronze in the women’s 200m (T12) event.
The 24-year-old from Delhi, who was found to be visually impaired at the time of her premature birth, is the reigning world champion in this event. She had finished fourth in the 100m competition of the ongoing Games and Saturday’s medal helped her redeem her campaign.
The duo’s performance on the penultimate day of the competitions lifted India’s tally to 29, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze.
Track-and-field has contributed 17 medals to this tally, four of them gold. The country is placed 15th in the overall standings, led by China with a whopping 208 medals, including 90 gold.
For Navdeep, the gold makes up for the fourth-place heartbreak he endured in the Tokyo Games.
“Everybody dreams of make it big and I am happy, I have made it. I am from Panipat and I tried my hand in wrestling too but an injury forced me to give up,” Navdeep recalled when asked about his journey.
“There is a saying that an athlete either wins or learns, never loses. I have believed in it. I have also tried to keep my calm, control my racing mind. Also, I tried to keep to myself,” he added.
An inspector in the Income Tax Department, Navdeep has medalled five times at the national level since taking to the sport in 2017. He won a bronze in the para-world championships earlier this year.
Simran, on the other hand, won two silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year and secured three gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and long jump at the inaugural Khelo India Para Games last December.
She is coached by her husband Naik Gajendra Singh.
Canoer Prachi Yadav ends 8th
Indian canoe sprinter Prachi Yadav finished eight in women’s VL2 200m finals.
The 29-year-old had made the finals after ending third in the semis.
The VL2 classification is for para-athletes with partial leg and trunk function who can sit up straight but may require a high-backed seat.
Disappointment for para-cyclists
Arshad Shaik and Jyoti Gaderiya wrapped up their Paris Paralympics journey without any medals, finishing the men’s and women’s road race C1-3 events a lap behind the leaders.
In the women’s race, Gaderiya finished 15th in the race topped by Japan’s Keiko Sugiura, with Flurina Rigling of Switzerland taking silver, and Clara Brown of the United States securing bronze.
In the men’s race, Shaik finished 28th. Great Britain’s Finlay Graham won the gold, while French riders Thomas Peyroton-Dartet and Alexandre Léauté took silver and bronze, respectively.
Both Jyoti and Shaik had earlier struggled in the road time trial C2 event, finishing 16th and 11th, respectively.
Swimmer Suyash fails to enter final
India’s campaign in swimming ended when Suyash Jadhav failed to enter the final of the men’s 50m butterfly S7 here.
Competing in Heat 1, the 30-year-old finished in the fifth spot with a timing of 33.47, a 10th-spot finish overall. The top four swimmers from the two Heats make it to the final.
Jadhav is a gold medal winner in Asian Para Games, Winter Open Polish Championships and IWAS World Games.
The S7 category is for para swimmers with movement affected from a low to moderate level in arms, trunk and legs, moderately down one side, those with short stature, or the absence of limbs.
