Twenty two years after the armyman lost his left leg to a landmine blast during a counterterror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Chowkibal, Havaldar Hokato Hotozhe Sema won a battle on the sports field, winning a bronze medal at the ongoing Paris Paralympics late on Friday.
The 40-year-old from Dimapur produced a career-best throw of 14.65m at the State de France in Paris, securing a podium finish in the men’s F57 category shot put final. The F57 classification involves athletes with limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired range of movement. While able-bodied shot-putters generate power from ground up, the para athletes in this category rely on their immense upper body strength to propel the iron ball.
The only athlete from Nagaland in the Indian contingent, Sema is the second of four children in a farmer’s family. He joined the army with the ambition of becoming an elite special forces para commando, but his dream was shattered by the landmine blast in 2002 that resulted in the amputation of his left leg from knee down. Sema was yet to turn 19 then.
The physical and mental toll of the accident was immense but Sema persevered. He reportedly struggled to deal with the trauma for years, but things changed when the Army’s Para Sports Node came calling.
Sema was encouraged by senior army officials at the Pune-based Artificial Limb Centre to take up shot put after assessing his fitness. He picked up the sport in 2016, aged 32, and made his Nationals debut in Jaipur that year. A silver at the Morocco Grand Prix in 2022 was followed by a bronze medal at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year. Sema was fourth at the 2024 World Championships, but ensured he finished on the podium at the grandest stage.
On Saturday, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio announced a reward of Rs.1.5 crore for Sema.
‘We’re proud & joyous for Mr. Hokato Hotozhe Sema on winning Bronze at the #ParalympicsGames in Shot Put event. He’s made India proud & Nagaland shine. Being the 1st Olympic Medalist from Nagaland, I’m happy to announce that the Nagaland Govt will extend a cash reward of Rs1.5Cr,’ Rio posted on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to congratulate Sema.
‘A proud moment for our nation as Hokato Hotozhe Sema brings home the Bronze medal in Men’s Shotput F57! His incredible strength and determination are exceptional. Congratulations to him. Best wishes for the endeavours ahead,’ Modi wrote.
Iran’s Yasin Khosravi, 31, the two-time para world champion and Hangzhou Para Games gold medallist, won gold in Paris with a Paralympic record of 15.96m. Khosravi produced a stunning series of 15.26m, 15.87m, 15.94m, 15.96m, 15.57m, and 15.94m, each of his attempts bettering the previous Paralympic record of 15.00m. Brazil’s Thiago Paulino dos Santos took silver with a best effort of 15.06m.
With the top two spots sealed early, Sema had to vie for bronze and the Paralympics debutant didn’t flinch. He touched the 14m mark with his second throw and improved steadily. Sema achieved his best result on the fourth attempt, surpassing his personal best of 14.49m on the way to the bronze medal.
The other Indian in the fray, Rana Soman, silver medallist at the Hangzhou Para Games, finished fifth with a best throw of 14.07m.
