“Feel very good as para sports is gaining a lot of popularity”: Navdeep after winning gold at Paris Paralympics

Paris [France], September 8 (ANI): Following the gold medal in javelin throw at the ongoing Paris Paralympics 2024, India’s para-athlete Navdeep said that he is feeling really good as the para-sports is getting a lot of popularity.

Navdeep’s silver has been 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 ongoing Paris Paralympics.

“The culture of sports in Europe has always been very good…The public of France supports Parasports a lot…I feel very good as para sports is gaining a lot of popularity,” Navdeep said while speaking to ANI.

Navdeep had initially finished second with a throw of 47.32 m, while Sadegh took the top honours with a Paralympic record of 47.64 m.

However, following Sadegh’s disqualification, Navdeep was crowned as the gold medal winner.

“Iranian athlete Beit Sayah Sadegh has been disqualified. As a result, the silver medal has been upgraded to gold, and Navdeep has now secured the Gold medal with a personal best of 47.32m. This marks the first-ever Gold medal in the Men’s Javelin F41 category,” Sports Authority of India (SAI) media said in a statement.

In the jam-packed Stade de France, it was a redemption arc for Navdeep after he finished fourth in Tokyo. Navdeep was second in order among the six participants and 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 broke the Paralympic record with a massive 47.32m throw and moved to the top spot.

Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah thought he had rewritten history with a 47.64m throw to set the new Paralympic record. But his disqualification after the conclusion of the final took away the gold medal triumph from him.