Navdeep Singh, India’s latest javelin hero, etched his name in history with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the F41 classification. At just 23, the young athlete showed remarkable grit and resilience, overcoming both personal and professional challenges to achieve glory on the international stage. He had initially won a silver medal, but it was upgraded to gold minutes later after Iran's Sadegh Beit Sayah, who had originally won gold, was disqualified.

Navdeep has been widely compared to India's star cricketer, Virat Kohli, for displaying similar aggression and competitive demeanour. In a recent podcast, Navdeep stated that while many athletes are often compared to cricketing legends like Kohli or MS Dhoni, his role model is Rohit Sharma.

“He plays very well. He had scored a double century. What an innings that was! Since then I’ve been his fan,” Navdeep told Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube.

Navdeep’s journey to Paralympic glory was anything but easy. His breakthrough came at the Asian Youth Para Games, where he clinched his first gold medal, foreshadowing his future success. Training rigorously at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres in Gandhinagar and Bangalore, Navdeep honed his technique and discipline, which soon paid off at the Fazza International Championship in Dubai, where he secured another gold medal.

Despite his early successes, Navdeep faced setbacks, finishing fourth at both the Tokyo Paralympics and the Asian Para Games. He also managed a bronze at the World Para Athletics Championship in 2024 but fell short of expectations. However, the Paralympian was determined to prove his doubters wrong. "I heard things like, ‘He can’t do this, he only performs well in India, but fails in competition,’" he recalled.

Navdeep at Paralympics

Navdeep’s hard work culminated in a stellar performance on September 7 in Paris. Navdeep broke the Paralympic record in his category by throwing 47.8m, and even though it was momentarily eclipsed by the Iranian Sayah, the Indian thrower reclaimed the record after the former was disqualified.

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