India’s Navdeep Singh’s silver medal was upgraded to gold after first-time winner Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an offensive flag after a dramatic men’s javelin F41 final at the Paris Paralympic Games on Saturday. This is India’s first-ever gold medal in the men’s javelin F41 category. The 23-year-old para-athlete from Haryana, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Games three years ago, threw a personal best of 47.32m to claim the top spot.

Navdeep, who competes in the small-statured athlete class, originally finished with a silver medal after beating Chinese world record holder Sun Pengxiang with a throw of 47.32 metres.

However, that was upgraded to an unprecedented gold after Sadegh’s disqualification. Pengxiang (44.72m) finished with silver.

Sayah had managed to overtake the rest of the group with a new Paralympic record of 47.64 metres in his penultimate throw, but lost the medal for his antics.

Why do you need this? #Iranian Beit Sayah Sadegh’s
Where is your photo.twitter.com/KyUF8lI6e7

— Anil Bansal (@dilseanilbansal) September 7, 2024

According to International Paralympic Committee rules, athletes are not allowed to make political gestures during the event. Sayah was disqualified from the final standings for unsportsmanlike/inappropriate behavior.

Iraq’s Nukhailawi Wildan (40.46) won the bronze medal.

Navdeep, who started the event with a mistake and had a personal best of 44.29m and a season best of 42.82m, threw 46.39m in his second attempt to move into second place. But it was his third throw that sent the stadium into turmoil.

With a monstrous throw of 47.32 metres, Navdeep broke the Paralympic record to take the lead, but Sadegh bettered the Indian’s record with a throw of 47.64 metres in his fifth attempt.

Navdeep’s journey: from setback to international podium

Born in Panipat, Haryana, Navdeep faced challenges from the very beginning, but he refused to let his condition define him.

Inspired by his father, a national-level wrestler, and Gram Sachiv, Navdeep channeled his passion into athletics, overcoming societal expectations and physical limitations.

After completing his education from Unique Public School and obtaining a BA in Hindi (Hons.) from Delhi University, Navdeep’s dedication to sports only grew stronger.

His career took a decisive turn in 2017, when he became a professional coach and made his international debut at the Asian Youth Para Games, where he won gold in the javelin throw.

The victory marked a turning point and proved that his determination and perseverance could overcome any challenge. Navdeep went on to win five national gold medals and an international gold at the 2021 Fazza International Championship in Dubai.

Despite setbacks at the Tokyo Paralympics and the 2022 Asian Para Games, where he finished fourth, Navdeep, who works as an inspector with the Income Tax Department in Bengaluru, bounced back to win bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan earlier this year.

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