Paris Paralympics 2024 Day 10 Highlights: Navdeep’s silver upgraded to gold in javelin throw F41 after Iran athlete’s DQ, Simran wins 200m T12 bronze, India’s tally 29

On the last day of Paris 2024, India have just one event scheduled. Pooja Ojha in Women's Kayak Single 200m - KL1 semifinals.

And after all the drama (much of it we still are unclear about) the Indian national anthem plays for the 7th time in Paris.

Navdeep is here for the gold medal! And time for the national anthem.

No word from the commentators on what the nature of misconduct was, but Navdeep is out for the gold medal presentation which means the disqualification has been upheld. 

We might be about to have the medal ceremony for Navdeep's event as things come to a close at Stade de France. 

NAVDEEP REACTS: 

On throwing 47.32 metres, a personal best:

"I didn't expect to throw that far, to be honest. My target was a bit less than that but I was hoping to do well and had faith in my coach. I am delighted it went well.

"My first throw was a foul but my coach told me it was a good throw. So, I tried bettering the distance in my next throws. Two of my other throws measured over 45 metres. I expect to do better than that in the future."

"This medal holds a lot of importance in my life. I have attained a Paralympic Games podium finish after years of waiting and hard work.

"I placed fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, too, I took the fourth place. A podium finish has arrived at long last. Joy has arrived at long last.

"Everyone dreams of doing well on such a big stage. My efforts have borne fruit today."

We are still awaiting some information if the medal ceremony will happen for Navdeep and maybe the commentators could tell us more. Nothing more on the official website yet.

A HEARTBREAKING END TO THE LAST TRACK EVENT IN STADE DE FRANCE!

Heartbreaking end to events in Stade de France. Tokyo 100m T63 champion Italy's Sabatini slips as she was about to take the lead in the last few meters. Athletes rush to her immediately after the race. She gets up eventually sobbing. Tears, hugs, eventually some smiles. All the emotions being felt in the end there. 

A World Record in Gavit's final.

49.99 for Gavit and he finishes 8th in the final. Once again like we saw in the Heats, he slowed down considerably towards the finish line after a decent start. But a final in a track event for India. 

A lot of it is conjecture at the moment but we could definitely see an official have a word with Beit Sayeh at the end of the event. 

We await more information. 

Anyway, Gavit's race is about to start. 

Iranian athlete Beit Sayah Sadegh has been disqualified. 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.

(via SAI) 

The official medal tally confirms the gold too. 

India have their seventh gold medal after javelin thrower Navdeep has been declared as the gold medal winner because the initial winner from Iran, Sadegh Beit Sayah, has been disqualified for unsporting or improper conduct!

Navdeep threw the spear to a distance of 47.32m. 

Stunning.

Cuba's Omara Durand completes the triple-triple! 

Paris 2024: Gold in 100m, 200m, 400m
Tokyo 2020: Gold in 100m, 200m, 400m
Rio 2016: Gold in 100m, 200m, 400m
London 2012: Gold in 100m, 400m

WHAT. A. RECORD.

A campaign for the ages for India's Paralympians.

Simran wins bronze in Women's 200m T12! India's medal No 28. Another female athlete coming up with a special performance. New PB of 24.75 as she bags the medal she missed out by a fraction in 100m. 

Six races in four days. A close miss in 100m. And now a hard-earned bronze. 

After six races over the space of few days, Simran dug deep to run a new Personal Best and make sure she returns from Paris with a medal. Superb.

SILVER MEDAL FOR NAVDEEP! He briefly held the Paralympic Record and took the top spot but Navdeep finishes 2nd behind Beit Sayah with a STUNNING new PB of 47.32m. 

TOP TWO ASSURED FOR NAVDEEP! Now comes his last throw.

SIMRAN WINS BRONZE: 24.75! A new Personal Best once again by an Indian athlete. And it needed to be as well to keep the Iranian behind her. INDIA HAVE YET ANOTHER TRACK MEDAL IN PARIS!

Beit Sayah Sadegh breaks the Paralympic Record! Navdeep moves to 2nd.

A sub-45 throw from Navdeep and he looks back at his coach, and then steps over the line. Didn't want that to be registered.

We are not far away from Simran's final. 11.04 pm IST. 

In Simran's 200m event, Omara Durand will be going for an incredible THIRD STRAIGHT hat-trick of gold medals.

The order now reverses... based on the ranks of the first three attempts. Navdeep will go last for throws No 4 & 5.

Another Personal Best! And it is a PARALYMPIC RECORD! 47.32m from Navdeep... and HE IS PUMPED!

Into the lead. WOW.

Two attempts done, this event is moving quite quickly for a field throw. Navdeep in 2nd spot with his PB. But let's see how China's Sun reacts?

46.39! A NEW PERSONAL BEST! Yet another Indian athlete going past their best mark in Paris. Navdeep enjoyed that and he is into the 2nd position. China's Xun however, will know he can better this. But Navdeep should be firmly in medal contention now.

First attempts are done... and it is clear that Navdeep just needs to find a clean throw that is anywhere close to his PB to be in medal contention. A safe throw for attempt 2 won't be a bad idea.

Oh Navdeep's first throw is just below 45m but it won't count because the Indian tumbled over the white foul. But good distance there.

Here's how the World Championships in Kobe panned out.

Beit Sayah Sadegh starts off and his first throw is 43.48.

The last session at Stade de France for track & field events is up on. Navdeep will be in action. 

Sun Pengxiang and Beit Sayah Sadegh will start favourites for gold and silver in this event. They finished 1-2 at the World Championships final in Kobe earlier this year. Navdeep had finished third for bronze in the event with 42.82. The battle for bronze is likely to be between Navdeep and Wildan Nukhailawi of Iraq. 

This is a standing javelin event. 

One month after Tara Davis-Woodhall's Olympic title in the long jump, her husband Hunter Woodhall, a double amputee, won his own Paralympic gold medal Friday at the Stade de France.Davis-Woodhall’s rush into the stands for a celebratory hug from her husband became a viral moment during the Olympics, and the roles switched this time in the Paralympics.Woodhall won the T62 400 meters in 46.36 seconds, leaving Germany’s Johannes Floors the silver in 46.90 and the Netherlands’ Oliver Hendricks the bronze in 46.91.Woodhall, who raced for the able-bodied track team in college at Arkansas, also won a bronze medal as part of America’s 4x100 universal relay team.

This comes a year after he didn't make it to the starting line at Para world championships because his prosthetics were malfunctioning. “This is like a fever dream,” Woodhall said. “I am so full of emotions right now. It is so incredible. I have been waiting so long and gone through so much stress and worry about achieving this. When I crossed the line, I was like, ‘Am I really first this time or am I still dreaming?’”

On what he’s learned from his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall: “Tara has taught me a lot about self-affirmation. Before the Olympics, she was writing in her journal, ‘I will be the Olympic champ’. And ‘I am strong, I am fast’. I have had my journal here and I wrote in it today, ‘I will be the Paralympic champion’. And now I am."

Tara said: “It was a dream for us to both win gold and now we have. We’ll be wearing these golds for the rest of our lives.”

via AP

On winning gold after placing eighth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games:

"In Tokyo, I was well-prepared, but it was so hard there. Here, with extra training, I was able to get the medal. 

"I don’t have words to explain the joy and emotions that are going through me right now.

"Coming from a middle-class family with the worst disability in Paralympic sports, I feel immense gratitude for the gold medal. It is uplifting to give my nation so much joy."

On throwing four fouls before his winning effort:

"As quadriplegic athletes we are not even able to hold the club, so we use a sticky gum in our fingers. Sometimes it is not in our control how it will release from the hand.

"For the first four throws, I was not able to get it right. This happens a lot with me. But I was confident that one straight throw would bring rewards, and it did.

"After my fifth throw, I knew I would win a medal but wasn’t sure which colour. In the end it was my day. It was my throw that stood up, and I got gold."

On what his gold, and silver by teammate Pranav SOORMA (IND), mean for India:

"This is an immensely proud moment for the entire nation. I could see the Indian contingent standing and dancing, waving flags and singing, 'Gold and silver are coming home'.

"When we left India we promised that we would come back with 25 medals, and these two medals have brought us very close - to 24. So they are the most crucial of the entire campaign.

"This means the world to me."

Trailblazer Matt STUTZMAN (USA) signed off in style at Paris 2024, while 17-year-old Sheetal DEVI (IND) announced her arrival on para archery's world stage. 

STUTZMAN (pictured), who announced these would be his last Games, has long served as a mentor and role model to up-and-coming athletes, and in Paris he became the first archer without arms to win Paralympic gold. 

(Via IOC media portal) 

He survived shootouts in his round of 16 and semifinal matches, won his quarterfinal 143-142, and then set a Paralympic record in the gold medal match to claim the men’s individual compound open title.

His teenage protege DEVI, the first female archer without arms to compete in international competition, took bronze with Rakesh KUMAR in the mixed team compound open.

"She's the future of the sport," STUTZMAN, 41, said of DEVI. "She's going to win lots of medals. She's going to probably inspire the next generation more than I inspired this generation.

"If you look at what is happening within India, and the amount of people that she's already inspired, (it's) way more than I've ever inspired. So she's, without a doubt, the next superstar."

India’s Kapil Parmar on Thursday created history when he won a bronze medal at the Paralympics, becoming India’s first-ever para judo medallist. He defeated Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira in the men’s 60kg (J1) to achieve that feat.

Kapil hails from Shivor, a small village in Madhya Pradesh and is the youngest of four brothers and a sister. His father is a taxi driver while his sister runs a primary school. His middle brother, who practices judo is often Kapil’s training partner.

When he was a child, Kapil had an accident when he was playing in the fields of his village and accidentally touched a water pump, resulting in a severe electric shock. He was found unconscious by a and taken to the hospital in Bhopal, where he remained in a coma for six months.

READ MORE

Harvinder Singh spoke about his joy at being named India's flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony.

“Winning gold for India has been a dream come true, and now leading our nation as a flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony is the highest honor I could imagine. This victory is for everyone who believed in me, and I hope to inspire many more to pursue their dreams,” he said.

Till very recently, para-sports were treated as a charity. Even our federation, the Paralympic Committee of India, had the status of an NGO, not a serious competitive sports federation. It was only after para-sports were mainstreamed and became governed by the same policies as able-bodied sports that the previous ad-hocism gave way to professionalism. Our federation leadership is now athlete-centric. From just being a platform for entering international competitions, we are now playing a crucial role in training athletes. The federation maintains data, analyses performance and helps enhance athletes’ careers. From planning when to send them for international meets to getting their medical classification done — an environment of sporting excellence is being fostered from the grassroots to elite levels.

Read Deepa Malik's piece in The Indian Express

Gold medal winner para archer Harvinder Singh and Preethi Pal, the first-ever Indian woman track and field athlete to win two medals at the Paralympics, after she won bronze medals at women’s T35 200m and 100m women’s T35 events will be India’s flag bearers at the closing ceremony on Sunday.

India’s Chef de Mission Satya Prakash Sangwan made the announcement on Friday even as the country celebrated a record-breaking performance at this year’s Paralympics with a haul of 26 medals which includes 6 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze.

“Harvinder Singh’s historic gold in Archery and Preeti Pal’s stellar performance in Athletics have made them true ambassadors of our nation’s grit and determination. Their role as flag bearers at the Closing Ceremony is a symbol of the incredible journey our athletes have undertaken. Their achievements inspire us all, and I am confident they will continue to motivate future generations of para-athletes,” Sangwan said after the announcement.

Within the span of three Paralympic Games — in eight years — Indian women para-athletes have taken the tally of medals from one to 11 female medals (and still going strong!). In the 2012 London Paralympics, the Indian contingent did not have even a single woman para-athlete. In 2016 in Rio, I (Deepa Malik) became India’s first woman to win a medal when I won silver in the shot put event. My joy, paradoxically, was marred by a question: Why had it taken so long?

In 2021, when as a part of my responsibilities as President of the Paralympic Committee of India, we took the Indian team for the Tokyo Paralympics, our women won three of the 19 medals won by the entire contingent.

Now, girls have done us proud in Paris by winning 11 medals thus far. On September 2, half of the eight medals won by India in a single day were won by women.

READ MORE BY DEEPA MALIK

Read more here.

Nagaland’s Hokato Hotozhe Sema added another medal to India’s Paralympics tally when he snapped up bronze in the the shot put F47 event late Friday night and dedicated it to his wife. The recent success took the country’s total medal tally to 27.

“This is for my wife. She has sacrificed a lot for me. She has often starved, so that I could eat and continue training because we didn’t have enough money to ensure two square meals a day,” Sema said. “She has been my biggest pillar of support. She has picked me up every time I felt like giving up. Without her, I would not have been on the podium today.”

Read more.

Simran reached 200m T12 final 

After her agonising miss in the 100m final, Simran has another shot at a medal as she reached Women’s 200m T12 final late on Friday night. Simran won Semifinal 3 with a timing of 25.03s, that gave her the automatic qualification. 

Final is tonight at 11.00 pm IST

Arshad Shaik and Jyoti Gaderiya finished their road races a lap behind.

Tokyo: GOLD x5 

In the 19-medal haul at Tokyo Paralympics, India had five champions. Avani Lekhara started things off in shooting sport, and Manish Narwal followed in shooting. Sumit Antil won his javelin throw title with a series of World Record throws. In the end, shuttlers Pramod Bhagat (SL3) and Krishna Nagar (SH6) made it a para badminton debut to remember. 

Paris: GOLD x6 

Avani and Sumit defended their titles. In badminton the SL3 title was retained by Nitesh Kumar, who was to be the only gold medallist. Shooting too saw one gold fewer. While there was never a doubt about going past the haul from Tokyo, India needed something special to break the gold medal record. It was delivered in style by Harvinder Singh (archery individual), Dharambir (Club Throw) and Praveen Kumar (High Jump). Arguably, even more impressive than going past 19 medals would be India's new record for gold medals.

Prachi Yadav finishes 8th in Para Canoe Women's Va'a Single 200m - VL2 FINAL A Two Final As in two Paralympics for Prachi. That's a solid effort.

Prachi Yadav's FINAL A begins. She finished 8th in Tokyo... 

Tara Davis-Woodhall: Paris Olympics gold medallist

Hunter Woodhall: Paris Paralympics gold medallist

Wife did it first at Stade de France, husband follows suit a few weeks later.

 Comments from bronze medallist Hokato HOTOZHE SEMA (IND) after the Men's Shot Put F57 final at Stade de France on Friday.

On taking bronze:

"This medal means a lot to me. I am representing India and the Indian Army, because I serve the army back home. 

"I am filled with joy as I have done it for them and also for Nagaland, where I am from. I wanted to make all of them proud.

"All of them, as well as the Paralympic Committee of India and the Olympic Gold Quest have been huge supporters of me throughout my career, so I want to thank them all."

On his approach to the final:

"When I sat on my chair, and started doing my warm-up throws, I felt if I put in my best today, I would take home a medal.

"I am delighted and proud to have created a personal best."

On his motivation:

"As an army man, I felt if Neeraj CHOPRA (IND) could do it for the Indian Army and for India as an able-bodied athlete, as a para athlete from the Indian army, why can't I?"

On dedicating his medal:

"This is for my wife. She has sacrificed a lot for me. She has often starved, so that I could eat and continue training because we didn't have enough money to ensure two square meals a day.

"She has been my biggest pillar of support. She has picked me up every time I felt like giving up. Without her, I would not have been on the podium today."

Screengrabs via YouTube Paralympics channel

Hokato Hotozhe Sema came into the Men's Shot Put - F57 Final with a Personal Best of 14.49m. He was sixth in the order of the athletes to throw. As this is a seated throw event, where athletes have to be harnessed to a throwing chair, all six attempts would be taken together in one go. The top two spots were all but decided early on. Yasin Khosravi and Thiago Paulino dos Santos throwing 15.96m (Paralympics Record) and 15.06m respectively. Khosravi and dos Santos had finished 1-2 at the World Championships in May earlier this year, so this was always on the cards.

The battle was likely going to be between Finland's Teijo Koopikka and Sema. At the World Championships Koopikka had taken bronze with 14.74, while Sema had finished fourth with 13.97. But once the Finnish athlete was done with his six throws with a best of 14.18, Sema – going after him – knew he had the bronze in his sights. He moved into third position with 14.40 off his third throw, and then upgraded it to a new Personal Best of 14.65m to all but seal the third spot. 

How incredible is this?

This is the list of her achievements in Para Swimming before she turned to Para Canoeing.

Prachi Yadav is into Final A: India's top Para Canoe athlete finishes third with a timing of 1:05.66 to enter the main final of this event. She had made it to Final A at Tokyo as well. Fine achievement.