Paris Paralympics 2024 | "Humein bhi utna darja milna chahiye": Navdeep Singh after clinching gold medal

Navdeep Singh who suffered from dwarfism endured not just the usual rigours of training but cruel taunts from onlookers while growing up in his village in Haryanarsquos Panipat district On Saturday having turned those taunts into his biggest triumph on sportrsquos grandest stage the four feet four inches tall para athlete expressed his concerns with the indignities visited upon people whose bodies donrsquot fit the usual moulds and demanded ldquosame respectrdquo for themlsquoI too have brought gloryrsquoThe 23yearold Indian javelin thrower won an unparalleled gold in the F41 classification at the Paris Paralympic Games ldquoHumein bhi utna darja milna chahiye maine bhi desh ka naam roshan kiya hai We deserve the same respect I too have brought glory to the countryrdquo Navdeep said flashing his gold medal in a video shared by the Paralympic Committee of India PCIldquoMy aim is to educate society that we also exist in this world and nobody should make fun of us which is often the case We also can make our country proud ldquoThere were a lot of hurdles initially but I kept at it and strengthened myself which led to good results This is the biggest moment of my life I feel proud to sign off with a gold medalrdquo he addedAs the track and field competitions concluded at the Paris Games Navdeeprsquos golden throw in the final ensured the hallowed Stade de France echoed with the Indian national anthem His personal best effort of 4732m initially placed him in second position but it was upgraded to gold after the top finisher Iranrsquos Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flagIt was a defining moment for Navdeep who silenced all his doubters Born prematurely in 2000 Navdeeprsquos struggles began from the start It wasnrsquot until he was two years old that his parents realised their son had dwarfism setting the stage for a life filled with both struggles and triumphsMotivating dadHis father Dalbir Singh a nationallevel wrestler kept motivating him and saw his son as an extension of his own aspirations Navdeep started his athletic journey at the age of 10 dabbling in wrestling and sprinting before finding his true calling in javelin throw after being inspired by national icon Neeraj ChopraAlso ReadInjured Ibrahim Zadran doubtful for Test against New ZealandldquoThe first thing that comes to my mind is my dad Dalbir Singh I really miss my family now Initially it felt like a burden I wondered why I couldnrsquot enjoy life like others mdash go to school and have funldquoBut he dad kept me motivated and on track In this journey I canrsquot credit just one person Champions are made with support so my coach my family the government mdash all contributed to our success taking our medal tally beyond the expectation of 25 reaching 29 alreadyrdquo he addedJhajhariarsquos big tip proved crucial for NavdeepA ldquosmall yet powerful advicerdquo from Indiarsquos celebrated javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia proved to be crucial for Navdeep Singh who clinched a historic gold medal at the Paris ParalympicsldquoSir has loads of experience he always finds a way to win difficult matches so I discussed my problems with himrdquo Navdeep recalled their conversation in a video shared by the Paralympics Committee of India ldquoHe gave me a simple piece of advice that ultimately proved to be very effective It turned out to be a crucial insightrdquoPCI president Jhajharia a double Paralympic gold medallist explained to Navdeep that while many believe the javelin is thrown primarily with the hands the real power comes from the legs ldquoI told him just one thing Remember while people say you throw the javelin with your hands itrsquos actually driven by your legsldquoI instructed him to fully engage his right leg to release power from the ground ldquoThis technique helps generate force from the ground which is then transferred through the throw resulting in greater power and accuracyrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever