On the 8th day of Paris Paralympics, Nagaland's Hokato Sema won the 27th medal for India. He won this medal in the F57 category of men's shot put. 40-year-old Hokato threw 14.65 meters and finished third. With this, he won the bronze medal. India has now reached the 17th position in the Paris Paralympics with 6 gold, 9 silver and 12 bronze medals.

First player from Nagaland

Hokato Sema is the first player from Nagaland to win a medal in the Paralympics. He threw 14.40 meters in the third attempt and reached third place in the table. After this, he improved in the fourth attempt and threw 14.65 meters, which is his personal best.

Earlier his personal best throw was 14.49 meters. In this event, Iran's Yasin Khosravi won gold with 15.96 meters and Brazil's Paulino dos Santos won silver with 15.06 meters. In the same event, another Indian athlete Soman Rana finished fifth with a best throw of 14.07 meters.

lost his leg at the age of 18

Hokato of Nagaland belongs to a farmer family. He joined the army at a very young age. His dream was to become a part of the elite special forces, but his dream was shattered at the age of 18. In 2002, during an operation on the LoC, he was hit by a landmine blast.

He lost his right leg in this accident.

Story of Lance Naik Hokato Sema pic.twitter.com/KNVnG3Ww3X

— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 6, 2024

This painful incident shattered the biggest dream of his life. Still, he did not give up and kept moving forward facing the challenges. Hokato, who was a Havildar in the 9 Assam Regiment of the Indian Army, started participating in para sports at the age of 32 and has now done a great feat for the country.

Performance at the international level

Hokato Sema has already showcased his talent at the international level before winning the bronze medal in the Paralympics. Sema also won a bronze medal in the Asian Para Games 2022. He also won a silver medal in the Morocco Grand Prix in 2022.

Apart from this, he finished fourth in the 2024 World Championship.

Apart from this, he finished fourth in the 2024 World Championship.