NAGOYA, OCT 21 (AGENCIES): Subedar Hokato Hotozhe Sema of the Indian Army’s Paralympic Node secured a Bronze medal in the Men’s Seated Shot Put (F56/F57) at the 5th Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 20 October 2026. With a best throw of 14.65 metres, the Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medallist and World No. 1 in the F57 category added to a strong Day 2 showing by Army athletes in athletics.
The podium was completed by Iran’s Yasin Khosravi, who set a Games record with a throw of 15.25 metres for Gold, and Saudi Arabia’s Haidr Salamh, who took Silver with 14.97 metres. Sema’s performance marked an improvement on his fourth-place finish at the previous edition in Hangzhou and contributed to the Army Paralympic Node’s Day 2 athletics tally of three medals.
Earlier on the same day, Havildar Rakesh claimed Silver in the Discus Throw (F44) and Havildar Pardeep Kumar secured Bronze in the Discus Throw (F64). These results took the Node’s Day 2 athletics haul to one Silver and two Bronzes, underscoring the consistent impact of the Mission Olympics Wing’s structured support for serving and veteran para-athletes.
From Battlefield to Podium: Sema, born on 24 December 1983 in P. Vihoto village, Niuland district, Nagaland, joined the Indian Army and served with the Assam Regiment. In 2002, while on operations along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he lost his left leg below the knee in a landmine blast. After rehabilitation, he took up para-athletics in his early thirties and began structured training at the Army Paralympic Node under coach Rakesh Rawat. He has since risen to the rank of Subedar and remains associated with the Node.
His major international results include a Bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and a landmark Bronze at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in the same event, where he also recorded a personal best of 14.65 metres. In 2026 he climbed to World No. 1 in the F57 seated shot put rankings, with fellow Army athletes Subedar Soman Rana and Lance Naik Shubham Juyal occupying the second and third positions at one stage. He has also been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) — the first Paralympian to receive the honour — and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sema on the Aichi-Nagoya Bronze, noting that the athlete had improved on his previous Asian Para Games performance and continued to make the nation proud.
The 5th Asian Para Games continue until 24 October 2026. With India’s contingent already accumulating a substantial medal tally, further contributions from Army and other para-athletes are expected in the remaining days of competition.
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