Who is Hokato Hotozhe Sema, a landmine blast survivor armyman who won bronze in shot put at Paris Paralympics?
From being a soldier who dreamed of safeguarding his country to making India proud on the world stage, Hokato Hotozhe Sema's life has been all about serving the nation.?On Friday, Sema won the bronze medal in the men's shot put F57 final, with a personal best effort of 14.65m.?
Hokato Hotozhe Sema wins India's 27th medal??
Sema started with 13.88m before touching 14.00m. He followed that with 14.40m, 14.65m, 14.15m, and 13.80m. This was India's 27th medal in the ongoing Paris Paralympics.
F57 category in Paralympics??
The F57 category is for field athletes who compete while seated and have limb deficiencies or other impairments that don't fit into other classes. Athletes in the F57 classification compete in events such as the shot put, discus, and javelin. In these events, athletes generate power from their upper body alone, leaning back and using their arms and shoulders to throw the shot put or javelin.
Who is Hokato Hotozhe Sema
Born in Dimapur, Nagaland, Sema wanted to join the elite Special Forces (SF) and started his career with the Indian Army's 9 Assam Regiment as a havildar. However, he lost his left leg in a landmine blast during a military operation at the LoC in 2002.
Unwilling to give up, post his amputation, Sema took to sports and started training in shot put at the age of 32. Sema is still a part of the Indian Army and is currently based in Pune.?
He made his debut at the World Championships in 2023 but could only manage a seventh-spot finish.?
Before the Paris Paralympics, Sema's best performance in international competitions was the bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Para Games with a 13.94m throw.
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