We have all celebrated Navdeep Singh for his gold medal at the Paris Paralympics. It was a fantastic effort to throw 47.32m to win gold and give India a record 7th gold medal. However, what we haven’t celebrated much is his sportsmanship, something we look forward to doing at the Tata Steel Trailblazers Conclave in Kolkata between March 6 and 8, 2025.
Soon after the announcement was made that Iran’s Sadegh Beit was disqualified in Paris, he was in tears. It was understandable, for, in an instant, he had gone from being Olympic gold medallist to a disqualified athlete who had little to show for his efforts. Navdeep and Sadegh were both in the mixed zone at the time, and Navdeep immediately went up to him and tried to console him. He got him a bottle of water and tried to calm him down, and help as much as possible. It was a gesture that was noticed even by the Iranian media, who all praised Navdeep for his sportsman’s spirit.
Frankly, this is what the Paralympic spirit is all about. It is not just about winning medals. Rather, it is about resilience. About the zeal to compete and overcome adversity. Win against all odds and make societal change. It is about coming to terms with disability and then challenging every barrier. Break things open, and set an example.
“We are athletes first,” said Navdeep when we spoke about it. “We have competed against each other for years. And I am sure we will be competing against each other for many years going forward. While it is great that I was awarded the gold medal, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we are both sportsmen, and it was unfortunate for him. The very least I could do was to be with him and try and help him before I celebrated my medal. At no point did I think anything otherwise. As athletes, we work for years to make the podium. Then, if something unfortunate happens, it is essential for fellow athletes to stay together and help someone overcome the trauma.”
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With Navdeep, you notice something different when he speaks. It is as if he knows how to deal with pain and failure. And that’s what has made him what he is today. “For the longest time, I have finished outside of the podium,” he told me. “I know the pain, for I have experienced it. When you see your colleagues make the podium and see your people celebrating medal winners, it makes you question yourself as to what is going wrong. Why can’t you do the same is what you ask yourself. For Sadegh, it will hurt even more. He had created a Paralympic record, and then to be told that he was disqualified was a huge blow. That’s why I did what I did, and tried to help him overcome the initial shock.”
So, while we celebrate Navdeep’s gold medal, we will also celebrate the human side of the man. He might use a lot of expletives to charge himself up during competition, but deep down, he is a fine human being.
We are delighted to welcome Navdeep Singh to the Tata Steel Trailblazers Conclave in March, to be part of the session, “Gold Medal stories with Sumit Antil, Harvinder Singh and Navdeep Singh.”
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