Paris Paralympics 2024: Simran Sharma, Navdeep Singh Extend India’s Medal Tally To 29

Navdeep Singh clinched India's first ever gold medal in Men's javelin throw F41 event and Simran Sharma clinched a bronze in the Women's 200m T12 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

New Delhi: Navdeep Singh won a gold medal in the men’s javelin throw F41 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Navdeep, who came fourth at the Tokyo Paralympics, finished second in the Paris Paralympics 2024 with a new Personal Best throw of 47.32m, which came in his third attempt. Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah who finished first in the event has been disqualified so as a result, the silver medal has been upgraded to gold and Navdeep has now secured the Gold medal with a personal best of 47.32m. This marks the first-ever Gold medal in the Men’s Javelin F41 category.

Navdeep Singh hails from Panipat, Haryana. Initially, Navdeep started his sports journey in athletics before only focusing on javelin throw. He received professional coaching in 2017 and made his international debut at the Asian Youth Para Games that year, where he won the gold medal in the javelin throw.

Navdeep has won five gold medals at the national level. In 2021, Navdeep participated in the Fazza International Championship in Dubai and secured the gold medal. Navdeep’s achievements are a testament to his hard work, determination, and the support he has received from his family and coaches.

F41 is the category for athletes who have short stature.

Simran clocked a new Personal Best timing of 24.75s to finish third in the Women’s 200m T12 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Cuba’s Omara Durand Elias took the gold in 23.62s while Venezuela’s Alejandra Paola Perez Lopez won silver, clocking 24.19s.

Simran was born prematurely with visual impairment, she faced numerous challenges throughout her life, including her father’s chronic illness and eventual passing. Despite these hardships, Simran remained steadfast in her pursuit of athletic excellence.

T12 is the category for athletes with vision impairment.

It is India’s 17th medal in para-athletics. Overall, India has won 29 medals – seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze – at the ongoing edition so far.