Landmine blast survivor Indian shot-putter Hokato Sema came up with his career-best throw of 14.65M to secure a bronze medal for the country in the men's F57 category final at the Paralympic Games on Friday. (Day 9 Highlights | Full Coverage)
The 40-year-old Dimapur-born para athlete, who had also won bronze at the Hangzhou Para Games last year, started with a mediocre throw of 13.88m before he hit a purple patch.
The only athlete from Nagaland competing at the Paris Paralympics touched the 14m mark on his second throw and then improved further with a heave of 14.40m.
World record holder Yasin Khosravi of Iran clinched gold with an effort of 15.96m while silver went to Thiago Paulino dos Santos of Brazil who managed 14.76m.
Who Is Hokato Hotozhe Sema?
Hokato hails from Nagaland and had dreamt of being part of the elite Special Forces (SF). However, tragedy struck when in a Counter Infiltration Operation, Hokato was a victim of a mine blast that saw him lose his left leg below the knee.
The 40-year-old has won a bronze at the Asian Para Games 2023 and also has a silver to his name at the Morocco Grand Prix in 2022. Earlier this year, he finished fourth in the Para World Championships.
F57 category is for field athletes with movement affected to a low degree in one leg, moderately in both feet or the absence of limbs. These athletes have to compensate for significant asymmetry in power from the legs but have full upper body power.
(with PTI inputs)
