Simran misses podium finish, finishes 4th in Women's 100m T12 final

Paris,UPDATED: Sep 5, 2024 23:27 IST

India's Simran Sharma came agonizingly close to a medal in the women's 100m T12 final at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, finishing fourth on Thursday. The 24-year-old, accompanied by her guide Abhay Singh, completed the race in 12.31 seconds, just missing the podium by a whisker.

Cuba's Omara Durand Elias won the gold medal alongside her guide Yuniol Kindelan, with a dominant time of 11.81 seconds. Ukraine's Oksana Boturchuk, guided by Mykata Barabanov, took the silver with a time of 12.17 seconds, while Germany's Katrin Mueller, with her guide Noel-Phillippe Fiener, secured the bronze in 12.26 seconds.

Simran had earlier shown promising form, securing her spot in the final by finishing second in semifinal 2, clocking 12.33 seconds. Despite a strong performance in the semifinals, she faced stiff competition from the other finalists in the last dash for the medals. Cuba's Durand topped the charts in the semifinals with a blazing time of 12.01 seconds, while Germany's Mueller followed close behind at 12.26 seconds, with Simran clocking the third-fastest time overall at 12.33 seconds. Ukraine's Boturchuk, who also qualified for the final, had clocked 12.36 seconds in the semifinals.

Simran's journey has been nothing short of inspirational. Born prematurely, she was discovered to be visually impaired after spending 10 weeks in an incubator. Despite facing societal stigma, she rose to prominence in para-athletics, thanks in part to the support and coaching of her husband Gajendra Singh, an Army Service Corps officer. She now trains at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Simran's road to Paris included a series of impressive victories, including a gold in the 200m T12 at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, earlier this year. She also secured two silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023 and has consistently dominated the National Championship and Indian Open since 2022 in both the 100m and 200m.