New Delhi, Oct 27 India’s Paralympic champion Navdeep Singh has appealed for the inclusion of men’s F41 javelin throw in the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics programme and taken up shot put as a backup, refusing to let uncertainty over his primary event derail his preparations for the next Games.
The 25-year-old, who won bronze in the men’s F41 javelin throw at the recently concluded Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya with an effort of 42.55 metres, said he had started training for shot put after learning that javelin would not feature in his category at LA28.
Navdeep, who won gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympics with a personal best of 47.32 metres, has already claimed a shot put gold at the national championships and will now prepare for both disciplines in the hope of keeping his options open.
“As soon as I found out that I could not compete in javelin at LA28, I started preparing for shot put alongside it. I even won a gold medal in shot put at the nationals. Now, as soon as the Asian Games are over, I will prepare for both events,” Navdeep told PTI in an interview.
The athlete said he had approached members of the national federation and urged them to appeal to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement, seeking the inclusion of javelin in the Games programme.
“I spoke to our federation members and told them to put an appeal before the IPC, the body that listens to athletes’ problems. In athletics, we have only one event left, shot put. Apart from that, we don’t have any other event,” he said.
“If athletes in our category are to participate in LA, they will only be able to compete in shot put. At least athletes should have the option to choose between events, as others do. That is why we have made this appeal.”
Navdeep said the inclusion of javelin at next year’s World Championships had given him hope that the event could also find a place in the LA28 programme.
“The positive response is that we have an event at next year’s World Championships. So we will try to get the event included at LA28 too,” he said.
For an athlete who has spent nearly a decade mastering the javelin, the prospect of switching disciplines at this stage is a significant challenge. Navdeep admitted that the uncertainty had caused some disappointment but said he was enjoying the process of learning a new event.
“I didn’t just start javelin two days ago. I started around 10 years ago. I have been doing one thing for 10 years, and now I have to change it. It feels like I studied from Class 1 to 12 in India and now I am going to another country and sitting in a nursery again,” he said.
“But I feel I have a lot of fun facing challenges. I am really enjoying it, and it feels good that I am learning new things. I am getting better control and doing better things. Change is necessary in life, so I don’t feel bad about it. Having fought this situation, I think it is a little easier for me.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his primary event, Navdeep believes his performances over the past three years underline his growing consistency. He said his throw of 42.55m in Japan showed progress from the approximately 40 metres he recalled recording at his previous Paralympics.
“I feel good that my consistency has increased. Last time when I participated in the Paralympic Games, I threw around 40 metres, and now I have thrown 42.55 metres. It is good to see the progress and compare performances across events,” he said.
“I feel good that I have given four medals to India in three years, and now I am ready to win more medals in the future.”
Navdeep’s personal best of 47.32m came at the Paris Paralympics, where he was upgraded from silver to gold after Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified. His bronze at the Asian Para Games, however, showed that he still has work to do to regain the distances that made him a Paralympic champion.
The athlete said he was looking forward to celebrating Diwali at home after the continental competition before returning to training.
“I am very happy that this year I will celebrate Diwali at home,” he said.
Navdeep also expressed happiness at the prospect of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi again, having met him after his Paris Paralympics triumph in 2024.
He said he was waiting for the date of the meeting and hoped the Prime Minister would continue to recognise the achievements of para-athletes.
“I met him in 2024, and it has been two years now. I am happy that I will meet him again, this time with my medal. I am just waiting for the date and what he will tell us,” he said.
“When the Prime Minister addresses the country, para-athletes are mentioned in his speech and he is enthusiastic and proud of us. It would be good if he takes our names and feels proud that we have won medals for the country.
“It would be even better if he motivates the country again on Independence Day by saying that our para-athletes are doing very well,” he concluded.
(PTI News)
