Paris Paralympics: Why India's Navdeep Was Upgraded To Gold In F41 Javelin After Initially Winning Silver

Here's why India's Navdeep was upgraded to gold, despite initially winning silver, in the men's javelin throw F41 final at the Paris Paralympics.

India's Navdeep was upgraded to gold, despite winning a silver initially, in the men's javelin throw F41 final at the 2024 Paris Paralympics after Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified. This marks India's first gold medal in the men's javelin F41 category and brings their total gold medal count at the Paralympics to seven, the highest ever for the country.

Navdeep's first attempt was fouled, but he made a remarkable comeback on his second attempt with a throw of 46.39 meters. His third throw, which shattered the Paralympic record with a distance of 47.32 meters, put him in the lead. However, Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh surpassed Navdeep with a record throw of 47.64 meters on his fifth attempt.

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Following the final, the Iranian athlete, winner of the gold medal in the event, was disqualified for showing unsportsmanlike behaviour. This disqualification allowed Navdeep Singh to be awarded the gold medal, as Sayah lost the top position due to his actions.

The International Paralympic Committee rules prohibit athletes from making political statements at the event. Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in his removal from the final results.

Following Beit Sayah's disqualification, India's Navdeep, who won silver initially, was upgraded to gold medal, the silver medal was then awarded to Sun Pengxiang of China with a throw of 44.72 meters, while Iraq's Nukhailawi Wilden won bronze with a throw of 40.46 meters. The F41 category is for athletes who have short stature.

The International Paralympic Committee's code of conduct, Rule 8.1 says, "World Para Athletics (WPA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and conduct in the sport of Para athletics. All participants in the sport, including athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators, have a responsibility to uphold these standards and ensure that the sport is conducted in a fair, honest, and transparent manner."

Navdeep's gold medal victory boosts India's total to 29 medals in this Paralympics edition. With this impressive haul, India will most likely finish in the top 15 of the medals table, which is 10 more than Tokyo 2020.