Competing in the men’s javelin throw F41 category, India’s Navdeep Singh clinched the gold medal in the Paris Paralympic Games. Once taunted for his condition (Dwarfism), Navdeep earned India its first-ever Paralympics medal in the F41 men’s javelin throw category. Back home after his heroics in Paris, Navdeep has emerged as a celebrated figure, with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi singing his praises. In an interview, however, Navdeep shared a heartbreaking tale when asked about the motivation behind his performances.

Navdeep revealed that he was asked to commit suicide as he would not be able to do anything in life, because of his condition.

“Aapko kya lagta hai hume hausla kaha se aata hai? Jab wo bolte hain ki tu kuch nahi kar sakta. Isse acha to tu suicide kar le. Ye kya jeewan hai tera [Where do you think we get our courage from? When they say you can’t do anything. It’s better if you just commit suicide. What kind of life is this for you?],” Navdeep recalled, during Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.

Navdeep also paid tribute to his father who stood by him at every step, and motivated him to do well in life despite the challenges that he encountered.

“Shuruwat unhone karwai thi. Har jagah saath they [He was the one who got me started. He was with me every step of the way],” Navdeep said about his father, who sadly passed away before he could see his son make history on the global stage.

Question: Motivation कहां से मिलता है ?

Answer: #NavdeepSingh pic.twitter.com/JMkKQNKZAB

— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) September 13, 2024

Navdeep was one of India’s top performers in the Paris Paralympics, producing a distance of 47.32 meters in the final, that also had its share of controversy over the Iranian athlete’s gesture.

Navdeep’s gold medal performance isn’t just an achievement for him and the country, but also a lesson for those who doubted his ability to succeed almost his entire life and pulled him down rather than giving him the courage to push for bigger things.

India’s Paris Paralympic gold medallist Navdeep Singh is neither a fan of MS Dhoni nor Virat Kohli, he revealed in a recent interview. The javelin thrower is in fact a fan of Rohit Sharma. Explaining the reason behind his choice, Navdeep said that he likes the batting of Rohit. Notably, Navdeep first won a silver in the F41 javelin throw final at Paris Paralympics 2024 which was later upgraded to gold after initial winner Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flag following a dramatic final.

“You are a fan of which cricketer MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli?” asked host Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel.

“Rohit Sharma” Navdeep replied promptly. “Because he plays well. I am his fan since he scored a double century,” he added.

Question – MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli? Who’s your favourite?

Navdeep Singh – Rohit Sharma. He plays so well. I have been a big fan since his double hundreds. #NavdeepSingh #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/Pc5mIpcKy4

— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) September 13, 2024

Navdeep Singh was captured on camera showing raw emotions during his throws in the final. His celebration after a throw also included some strong language. The netizens compared Navdeep aggression to that of Virat Kohli, who too wears his heart of his sleeve during matches.

“The world is comparing you with Virat Kohli. Some are saying that he is the younger brother of Virat Kohli. Some are saying you Virat Kohli 2.0,” said the host.

“No sir,” replied Navdeep with a smile. “Virat Kohli is a good player but what I like I like,” he added.

For India, the medal was a 7th gold at Paris 2024 and 16th in its Paralympic history, but for Navdeep, the top honour was way more than that.

Having suffered from dwarfism, Navdeep endured not just the usual rigours of training but cruel taunts from onlookers while growing up in his village in Haryana’s Panipat district. And his gold medal was a testimony to his resilience and determination. It would not only inspire him but a lot of other specially-abled people too, who went through a similar fate.

(With PTI Inputs)

The men’s javelin throw F41 final in the Paris Paralympic Games earned India its 29th and final medal of the campaign, as well as the 7th gold medal, thanks to Navdeep Singh. Though the event ended on a controversial note, with Navdeep’s initial silver being upgraded due to Iranian athlete’s disqualification over the display of a flag, the India star was elated to put the Tokyo Paralympics ghosts to bed. After making history for India, earning first-ever medal in the F41 category of the Paralympics, Naval drew comparisons with India’s Olympics star Neeraj Chopra.

Neeraj had famously earned a gold medal for India in the Tokyo Olympics, before adding as silver to his trophy cabinet in the Paris Olympics. Seeing Navdeep bag a the yellow metal in Paris Para Games, his coach Naval Singh claimed that his ward’s technique is even better than Neeraj’s.

“I knew Navdeep was going to make me and India proud. He has done a lot of hard work. Navdeep ki technique Neeraj Chopra se bhi behtar hai (Navdeep’s technique is even better than Neeraj Chopra’s). If he were in able-bodied athletics, he would have done wonders. But we are all proud of Navdeep. This is just the start for him-he is going to break several records,” Navdeep’s coach told Times of India.

Navdeep also lauded his coach for the work the two put together over the years, finally reaping the rewards in Paris Paralympics.

“My coach, Naval Singh, has worked a lot with me. He has trained me for almost seven years. He has played a big role in my career. Whatever I am today, it’s because of him. He has made me an international-level javelin thrower. All the credit for my technique and foundation goes to him,” Navdeep said.

“Mera girna mera akhiri upay hota hai. Jab gir jata hun, wo throw acha jata hai [Falling is my last resort. When I fall, that throw goes well],” (laugh) Navdeep said, reflecting on his throw of 47.32 meters in the final.