Indian shot-putter Hokato Sema, who survived a landmine blast, won a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games on Friday. Sema ensured a bronze medal for the country by throwing his best throw of 14.65m in the final of the men’s F57 category. The 40-year-old Dimapur-born Army jawan, who won a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Para Games last year, started with an average throw of 13.88m. The only athlete from Nagaland who was part of the Indian contingent at the Paralympics touched the 14m mark in his second throw and then improved further by covering a distance of 14.40m. However, Sema gave his best performance in his fourth throw and won bronze with 14.49m. Sema lost his left leg in a landmine blast during an anti-terrorist operation in Chowkibal, Jammu and Kashmir in 2002.

Rana Soman finished 5th

Iran’s 31-year-old Yassine Khosravi, a two-time Para world champion and Hangzhou Para Games gold medallist, topped the list with a Paralympic record of 15.96m, which he achieved in his fourth attempt. He missed out by just five centimetres from rewriting his own world record of 16.01m. Thiago dos Santos of Brazil won silver with his best throw of 15.06m. The other Indian in the event and Hangzhou Para Games silver medallist Rana Soman finished fifth with a best throw of 14.07m.

Took up shotput at the age of 32

Sema, who was encouraged to take up shotput by a senior Army officer at the Pune-based Artificial Limb Centre after observing her fitness, took up the sport in 2016 at the age of 32 and participated in the National Para Athletics Championships in Jaipur the same year. The F57 category is for field athletes who have minimal limitation of movement in one leg, moderate or absence of limbs in both legs. These athletes have to compensate for significant asymmetry in strength from the legs but have full upper body strength.

Inputs- PTI