Pooja Ojha the sole Indian in action at Paralympics on Day 11© X (Twitter)
There was no stopping India's inspired run at the Paralympic Games with javelin thrower Navdeep Singh striking an unparalleled gold in the F41 classification and visually impaired sprinter Simran clinching the women's 200m (T12) bronze on Saturday. Navdeep, who competes in the classification meant for athletes of short stature, originally ended with a silver after he upstaged world record holder Sun Pengxiang of China with a 47.32m throw. However, that was upgraded to an unprecedented gold after Iran's Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flag. Pengxiang (44.72m) finished with a silver.
At the same venue, Simran, accompanied by her guide Abhay Singh, clocked an impressive personal best of 24.75sec to finish with a bronze in the women's 200m (T12) event.
The 24-year-old from Delhi, who was found to be visually impaired at the time of her premature birth, is the reigning world champion in this event. She had finished fourth in the 100m competition of the ongoing Games and Saturday's medal helped her redeem her campaign.
The duo's performance on the penultimate day of the competitions lifted India's tally to 29, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze.
Track-and-field has contributed 17 medals to this tally, four of them gold. The country is placed 15th in the overall standings, led by China with a whopping 208 medals, including 90 gold.
For Navdeep, the gold makes up for the fourth-place heartbreak he endured in the Tokyo Games.
India's Schedule At Paris Paralympics On Day 11, September 08, 2024:
13:30 PM IST: Para Canoe - Women's Kayak Single 200m - KL1 Semifinals - Pooja Ojha
14:55 PM IST: Para Canoe - Women's Kayak Single 200m - KL1 Final A - Pooja Ojha (Subject to qualification)