India needed just one more gold medal to achieve their best haul in terms of gold in the history of WPAC \u2013 they had won 6 gold in the Kobe WPAC. So, Praveen was the man of the moment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He was the man with the shortest run-up in the men\u2019s high jump T64. Before running in, he signalled to the enthusiastic crowd to quiet down so that he could focus better. He was a man on a mission to all intents and purposes. And he did very well for the large part of the event. But Uzbekistan\u2019s Temurbek Giyazov flew away to the gold with a personal best of 2.03. Jonathan Broom-Edwards of Great Britain took silver at 2.00.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Praveen looked gutted after getting bronze on countback and spoke of his disappointment, and gave the reason why he couldn\u2019t live up to expectations. \u201cI have got a bronze medal, but I will try to get a gold medal next time. I had a hip injury. I had a pain in the middle of my hip. And that got in the way of my doing better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ekta Bhyan\u2019s silver in the women\u2019s club throw F51 around the same time improved the mood of the local supporters. She recorded her season best at 19.80, but Zoia Ovsii of Ukraine (24.03 being her best effort) was so extraordinary from her first attempt that the idea of Ekta pulling off a gold never crossed anyone\u2019s mind, if truth be told.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ekta sounded satisfied with her result, which was understandable in light of Ovsii\u2019s brilliance. \u201cYes, I was 21 plus metres in the Asian Games. I won a gold medal in the World Championship [Kobe 2024], but yes, my performance is okay. And I am happy with that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now all focus switches to Simran for Sunday\u2019s 200m T12 as well as to Paris Paralympic F41 javelin gold winner Navdeep Singh. Simran, who won gold in the 100m on Saturday, beat the competition in her Heat to finish first and reach the semis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She, in the company of her guide Umar Saifi, recorded her season best (25.03). \u201cWe are highly motivated, but we are not thinking about our gold [100m] anymore; we are totally focused on the next event. We can\u2019t be sure of anything; it\u2019s a world championship. We just have to stay fit. We have to hydrate ourselves. And have to be prepared for the heat and the final tomorrow,\u201d Simran\u2019s husband and coach, Gajendra Singh, said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now all focus switches to Simran for Sunday\u2019s 200m T12 as well as to Paris Paralympic F41 javelin gold winner Navdeep Singh. Simran, who won gold in the 100m on Saturday, beat the competition in her Heat to finish first and reach the semis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He recorded a season-best throw of 14.69. There were three Indians in the fray, Hokato Hotozhe Sema and Shubham Juyal being the other two. With Rana\u2019s silver, India surpassed Kobe\u2019s overall medal tally of 17, which now makes the New Delhi WPAC their best show to date.<\/p>\r\n\r\n