Indian para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema won a bronze medal in the men’s shot put F57 final at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday. Hokato achieved a personal best with a throw of 14.65 meters. Iran’s Yashin Khosravi claimed the gold medal with a throw of 15.96 meters, while Brazil’s Thiago Paulino dos Santos took silver with a throw of 15.06 meters. Another Indian competitor, Soman Rana, finished fifth with his best throw of 14.07 meters.
In the women’s F46 javelin throw final, Indian para-athlete Bhavanaben Chaudhary finished in fifth place. She recorded a best throw of 39.70 meters but did not make it to the podium. Venezuela’s Naibys Daniela Morillo Gil won gold with a Paralympic record-breaking throw of 43.77 meters. Uzbekistan’s Shahinakhon Yigitalieva took silver with an Asian record throw of 43.12 meters, and Great Britain’s Hollie Arnold secured bronze with a throw of 40.59 meters.
Simran Sharma continued to shine in the women’s 200m T12 semifinals, securing first place with a time of 25.03 seconds, which earned her a spot in the finals scheduled for Saturday at 11:04 PM IST.
On Friday, Praveen Kumar brought home gold in the men’s high jump T64 final, setting a new Asian record with a jump of 2.08 meters. The USA’s Derek Loccident took silver with a jump of 2.06 meters, breaking the Paralympic record set by Japan’s Toru Suzuki in 2021. Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov earned bronze with a jump of 2.03 meters, achieving a personal best.
India’s medal tally at the Paris Paralympics has now reached 27, including six gold, nine silver, and 12 bronze medals. This surpasses the country’s previous best of five gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Indian para-athletes have particularly excelled this year, contributing three golds, six silvers, and six bronzes to the total of 15 medals.
India has sent its largest-ever Paralympic contingent to Paris, with 84 athletes competing in 12 sports. This increased participation reflects the country’s growing commitment to para-sports. With 19 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games, including five golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes, India is aiming to build on its past success and achieve even greater results in Paris.