Paralympics 2024
Meet landmine blast survivor Hokato Sema- Nagaland's first Paralympic medalist
It was grit and determination on display as a soldier of India, Hokato Sema won bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
When the much revered Soman Rana recorded a poor series of throws in the men's shot put F57 final at the Paris Paralympics 2024, it looked like India's chances of a medal were over in the event.
However, the 40-year-old Hokato Sema turned up the heat when it was needed the most and recorded a personal best to win the bronze medal.
It was astonishing that Sema, who never has crossed the 14m mark in a major tournament, threw beyond the mark four times in his six attempts and with a best throw of 14.65m won the bronze.
When asked where the massive personal best came from, Sema told the broadcasters, "I was fourth in World Championships and it kept bugging me. I worked hard after that. I wanted to cross that 14m mark."
With his bronze medal, Sema also became the first-ever para-athlete to win a medal from the state of Nagaland and the region of NorthEast. India has won a total of 27 medals in the 2024 Paris Paralympics with 15 of them coming in para-athletics.
Who is Hokato Sema- Nagaland's first Paralympic medalist?
The 40-year-old from Nagaland is no ordinary human being.
Coming from a farmer's family, Sema always wanted to serve his motherland and become an elite soldier in the Indian army.
While Sema achieved his childhood dream of becoming an Indian army soldier, the dream was short-lived as lost his left leg after surviving a landmine blast during a Counter Infiltration Operation in 2002.
The 19-year-old had to move to an administrative role in the army as his recovery took an immense physical and mental toll after the amputation of his left leg during surgery.
Known for his athletic prowess, Sema became an amputee from the extremely high levels of human physical fitness.
At the age of 32 in 2016, after a lot of convincing Sema decided Para-Sports a try.
Eventually, he started rising via the Army's Para Sports division and focused on a discipline like the shot put that allowed him to harness immense upper body strength.
His biggest and most memorable moment came in the 2022 Asian Para Games when he clinched the bronze medal in Hangzhou, China.
Training 14 hours a week, Sema wanted to stand on the podium at the World Championships 2024 but finished a heartbreaking fourth.
However, what he couldn't do in Kobe, Sema did in Paris with a new personal best of 14.65m and a Paralympic medal around his neck on the debut.
