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India are having their best-ever campaign at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Now, another medal has been added to India’s tally, as shot-putter Hokato Sema won a bronze medal with his career-best throw of 14.65 meters in the men's F57 category final on Friday, September 6. With this, India have won 27 medals in the ongoing competition so far, consisting of six gold, nine silver and 12 bronze medals.
Notably, the F57 category in shot put is for the para athletes where the movement is affected to a low degree. The athletes can use full power from their body but have to compensate with an asymmetry in power from the legs. Hokata Sema won the gold medal in the Para Asian games last year. Now, he is the only athlete from Nagaland to be a part of the Indian contingent in the 2024 Paralympics.
Who is Hokato Sema?
Hokata Sema is an army man from Dimapur, who lost his leg in a landmine blast during an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu & Kashmir’s Chowkibal in 2002. He couldn’t join the special forces but proceeded to make his career in shot put. Hokato Sema took up the sport in 2016, at the age of 32 years. In the same year, he competed in the National Para Athletics Championships in Jaipur.
Hokato Sema ended up winning the silver medal in the 2022 Morocco Grand Prix. He is also a beneficiary of the Khelo India initiative, where he received support for his training, boarding and lodging through National Centre of Excellence (NoC) scheme.
