Navdeep Singhwho fell just short of a medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, took gold at the Paris edition of the tournament on Saturday 7 September, with a personal best throw of 47.32m.
This is India’s first gold medal in the men’s F41 javelin throw category. Navdeep, 23, from Haryana, who had finished fourth at the Tokyo Games three years ago, started the competition with a miss and managed a throw of 46.39 metres in his second attempt, which enabled him to claim the second position.
But it was Navdeep’s third throw that electrified the stadium. With a massive throw of 47.32 metres, he broke the Paralympic record and took the lead, just as Iran’s Beit Sadegh overtook the Indian’s mark and took the gold with a record-breaking throw of 47.64 metres on his fifth attempt.
However, Sadegh was disqualified shortly after finishing the final, leading to Navdeep taking the top spot. The latter competes in the F41 category, which is for shorter athletes.
However, Navdeep’s silver became an unprecedented gold after Sadegh was disqualified. Pengxiang (44.72m) finished with a silver.
Sayah had managed to get ahead of the rest with a new Paralympic record of 47.64m in her penultimate throw, but lost the medal due to her antics.
International Paralympic Committee rules prohibit athletes from making any political gestures at the event and Sayah was banned from the final results for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
Iraqi Nukhailawi Wildan (40.46) took the bronze medal. Inspired by his father, a national-level wrestler and Gram Sachiv, Navdeep channelled his passion into athletics, overcoming societal expectations and physical limitations.
After completing his education from Unique Public School and earning a BA in Hindi (Hons.) from Delhi University, Navdeep’s commitment to sports only grew stronger.
The Indian athlete’s career took a decisive turn in 2017 when he started training professionally and made his international debut at the Asian Youth Para Games, where he won gold in the javelin throw.
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