India’s para-athlete Navdeep Singh clinched a gold medal in a dramatic turn of events at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday. Originally securing silver in the men’s javelin throw F41 final, Navdeep’s position was elevated to gold following the disqualification of Iran’s Beit Sayah Sadegh.
Navdeep, a 23-year-old from Haryana, faced a challenging start with a foul throw. However, he made a strong comeback with a 46.39-meter throw on his second attempt, placing him in second place. His third throw, a remarkable 47.32 meters, set a new Paralympic record and briefly put him in the lead.
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Sadegh initially surpassed Navdeep with a throw of 47.64 meters in his fifth attempt, seemingly securing the gold. However, after the competition concluded, Sadegh was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flag, which violated International Paralympic Committee rules prohibiting political gestures.
As a result of Sadegh’s disqualification, Navdeep was awarded the gold medal. Sun Pengxiang of China took the silver with a throw of 44.72 meters, while Iraq’s Nukhailawi Wildan won the bronze with a throw of 40.46 meters.
This victory marks India’s first-ever gold in the men’s javelin F41 category. Navdeep’s achievement is a significant milestone for India in the Paralympics, adding to the country’s tally of 17 medals, including four golds. India currently ranks 16th overall, while China leads with an impressive 215 medals, including 93 golds.
For Navdeep, this gold medal is a moment of redemption following his fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Games. An inspector in the Income Tax Department, Navdeep has been competing in the sport since 2017 and has previously earned five national medals. Earlier this year, he also secured a bronze at the Para World Championships.
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