Hokato Hotozhe Sema clinches Bronze in men's shot put to take India's medal count to 27 at Paris Paralympics

Indian Army officer Hokato Hotozhe Sema won the bronze medal for India in the men's shot put F57 category at the Paris Paralympics on Friday, September 6. Sema clinched bronze with his personal best of 14.65m. 

The 40-year-old has a very fascinating story.  He lost his leg during a combat operation in 2002. However, he didn't give up on life and took up shot put at the age of 32. Notably, this is Sema's Paralympics debut. He secured a bronze at the Asian Para Games in 2023 with a throw measuring 13.94m. He made his World Championships debut in 2023 and finished seventh and improved his performance to secure the fourth spot at the same event this year.

Yasin Khosravi reduced the previous Paralympics record to dust on all his six attempts, clinched gold with a throw of 15.96m, and registered a new all-time Paralympics record. Thiago Paulino dos Santos of Brazil won silver with his effort of 15.06m.

India's medal winners at Paris Paralympics 2024