India’s Navdeep Singh won a historic gold medal in the men’s Paralympic Games javelin F41 category when Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for bad behaviour at the Paris Paralympics. Navdeep first won silver with a personal best throw of 47.32m, however, his medal was upgraded after Sayah was disqualified for continuously raising an offensive banner. This was India’s first gold medal in the F41 category.
Navdeep, competing in the classification for athletes of short stature, edged off world record holder Sun Pengxiang of China, who finished second with a 44.72m throw. Iraq’s Nukhailawi Wildan finished third with 40.46m.
The tournament had dramatic moments, including Navdeep’s second throw of 46.39m, which placed him second, and a record-breaking third throw of 47.32m, which initially put him in the lead. Sayah momentarily outperformed Navdeep with a 47.64m throw but was later disqualified by the International Paralympic Committee for breaking the rules on political gestures.
Navdeep’s journey to greatness began in Panipat, Haryana, where he defied physical restrictions and societal expectations. His father, a national-level wrestler, inspired him to pursue sports, and in 2017, he won a gold medal in javelin at the Asian Youth Para Games.
