Navdeep Singh during a podcast© X (Twitter)
Competing in the men's javelin throw F41 category, India's Navdeep Singh clinched the gold medal in the Paris Paralympic Games. Once taunted for his condition (Dwarfism), Navdeep earned India its first-ever Paralympics medal in the F41 men's javelin throw category. Back home after his heroics in Paris, Navdeep has emerged as a celebrated figure, with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi singing his praises. In an interview, however, Navdeep shared a heartbreaking tale when asked about the motivation behind his performances.
Navdeep revealed that he was asked to commit suicide as he would not be able to do anything in life, because of his condition.
"Aapko kya lagta hai hume hausla kaha se aata hai? Jab wo bolte hain ki tu kuch nahi kar sakta. Isse acha to tu suicide kar le. Ye kya jeewan hai tera [Where do you think we get our courage from? When they say you can't do anything. It's better if you just commit suicide. What kind of life is this for you?]," Navdeep recalled, during Shubhankar Mishra's podcast.
Navdeep also paid tribute to his father who stood by him at every step, and motivated him to do well in life despite the challenges that he encountered.
"Shuruwat unhone karwai thi. Har jagah saath they [He was the one who got me started. He was with me every step of the way]," Navdeep said about his father, who sadly passed away before he could see his son make history on the global stage.
Question: Motivation कहां से मिलता है ?
— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) September 13, 2024
Answer: #NavdeepSingh pic.twitter.com/JMkKQNKZAB
Navdeep was one of India's top performers in the Paris Paralympics, producing a distance of 47.32 meters in the final, that also had its share of controversy over the Iranian athlete's gesture.
Navdeep's gold medal performance isn't just an achievement for him and the country, but also a lesson for those who doubted his ability to succeed almost his entire life and pulled him down rather than giving him the courage to push for bigger things.