Double delight: Navdeep's silver upgraded to gold, Simran bags bronze as India's medal tally climbs to 29 at Paris Paralympics

Navdeep wins silver, Simran bags bronze to take India's medal tally to 29 at Paris Paralympics

Navdeep grabbed silver in the men's javelin throw event F41 category at the Paris Paralympics, which was later upgraded to gold after Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified. This was India's 29th medal at the ongoing Games. Navdeep secured the podium finish with a throw of 47.32m, also smashing the Paralympic record in the process. He achieved the distance in his third attempt after starting the event with a foul throw and then recording 46.39m in his second attempt.

Meanwhile, Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh had clinched the gold with a record-breaking effort of 47.64m in his fifth attempt, however, he was disqualified some time after the end of the final, leading to the Indian athlete taking the top spot. The International Paralympic Committee rules bar athletes from making any political gestures at the event and Sayah was thrown out of the final results for unsporting/improper conduct. Following the outcome India's gold medal tally expanded to seven, nine silver, and 13 bronze, solidifying the country's position in the quadrennial extravaganza.

The F41 category is for athletes, who are of short stature.

CHECK | Paralympics Medal Tally 2024: Complete list of Indians who secured podium finish at Paris

Meanwhile, Simran secured bronze in the women's T12 200m final with a timing of 24.75 seconds, which was her personal best timing. A total of four participants took part in the final, with three of them, including the Indian running with a guide. This was India's fourth track medal for India at the ongoing Games. Simran is the reigning world champion. The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for athletes with visual impairments.

The 24-year-old Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator where it was discovered that she is visually impaired. The Indian, who became world champion this year in Kobe, Japan, faced numerous challenges throughout her life, including her father's chronic illness and eventual passing. She had earlier finished fourth in the 100m event.