Interview | There’s an additional buzz now if they realise I am competing: Navdeep Singh Premium

Navdeep Singh, India's Paralympic gold medallist, reflects on his journey, changing perceptions, and future goals in para-athletics.

Midway through his event at the National Para Athletics Championships in Chennai recently, Navdeep Singh — India’s gold medallist in the javelin throw (T41 class for athletes with short stature) at the Paris Paralympics — was fairly relaxed.

Seated in the company of the chief coach of the Indian national team Satyanarayana and Nishad Kumar, the men’s high jump silver medallist in Paris, Navdeep was eager to begin a season that will see several important international events come India’s way on a victorious note.

A throw of 47.32m in the French capital won him the gold medal and a Paralympic record. In Chennai, however, Navdeep could manage only 39.93m for the same outcome.

While understandably not happy with the distance, Navdeep is always the glass-half-full type of athlete. His focus is firmly on the World Championships in September this year and the LA Paralympics in 2028.

While the big picture dictates his day-to-day life, Navdeep has not forgotten to savour the renewed interest in and veneration of para-sport, particularly after India’s record-breaking 29-medal campaign in Paris last year.

“The respect we are getting now. I am really liking it,” he said. Excerpts:

How has life changed after the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics?