PARIS: India para-athlete Simran Sharma delivered her personal best performance to get her hands on the bronze medal in the women’s 200m T12 final at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday.
After missing out on a bronze medal in the women’s 100m T12 final by 0.05s, Simran redeemed herself in the 200m T12 final.
She clocked her personal best timing of 24.75s to settle for the third spot. Cuba’s Omara Durand Elias bagged the gold medal by finishing the race in 23.62s. Venezuela’s Alejandra Perez Lopez settled for silver with a timing of 24.19s.
In her previous gold medal match, Simran stormed into the women’s 100m T12 final without breaking a sweat. But she was ousted by her opponents and finished last of the four finalists in the event with a timing of 12.31s.
Cuba’s Omara Durand Elias, the world record-holder, struck gold with a timing of 11.81s. Ukraine’s Oksana Boturchuk finished behind Elias with a timing of 12.17s. Germany’s Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt settled for the bronze medal after clocking 12.26s.
Meanwhile, Dilip Mahadu Gavit fell short in the medal race. He finished eighth in the men’s 400m T46 after clocking 49.99s. Morocco’s Aymane El Haddaoui secured the gold with a new World Record of 46.65s. His compatriot Ayoub Sadni settled for silver with a timing of 47.16s. Brazil’s Thomaz Ruan de Moraes claimed the bronze medal after finishing the race in 47.97s.
While Simran was in action, India para-athlete Navdeep was fighting for a gold in the javelin throw event.
He secured a silver medal, but it was upgraded to a gold medal after the initial winner, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah, got disqualified from the men’s javelin F41 final at the Paris Paralympics.
India has now won 29 medals at the Paris Paralympics, including six gold, 10 silver, and 13 bronze. Navdeep had initially finished second with a throw of 47.32m while Sadegh took the top honours with a Paralympic record of 47.64m.
In the jam-packed Stade de France, Navdeep, who was second in order among the six participants, started his campaign in the final with a foul attempt. He failed to stop the momentum and fell over the line, which resulted in a foul attempt.
In his third attempt, Navdeep dug deep and delivered his personal best with a 47.32m throw. (ANI)