Exclusive/ 'Kamzor Nahi Hoon!': Para Gold Winner Navdeep Singh Opens Up On Struggles with Mockery Over Dwarfism

With a gold medal, Para-Athlete Navdeep Singh showed an amazing performance to wrap the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Suffering from dwarfism, the javelin parastar reflected on his difficult upbringing, highlighted by bullying in both his city and the village. Navdeep discussed his path of overcoming challenges, stressing tenacity and will in the face of adversity, which finally resulted in his amazing Paralympic performance.

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Navdeep Singh speaks on how he faced bullies and adversities and went on to win gold at the Paris Paralympics 2024

The star gold medallist told Republic in an exclusive interview that he never questioned his ability and remained unconcerned by the bullies. He also said that the residents of clever cities and towns, who seem awake and educated but nevertheless pursue the route of harassing others, do not really vary from one another. Once in a while he lost his cool but stayed true to the greater goal of making the country proud despite his disabilities. Navdeep Singh said: 

Question: There are several challenges to the body for every athlete, and with Navdeep, it's been the same. Your height has always been short since childhood, with no physical growth. So, how was your childhood? Can you tell us about any challenges you faced?

Answer:

 During my childhood, the people in the village weren't very educated, and even in the cities, there wasn’t much difference. People would say that villagers are street-smart, but I didn’t see that. There was a bit more of that mindset in the village, but overall, I didn't find much difference.

The fact that we were all from the same village meant we knew each other well, so things became a bit common among us. However, when I initially went to Jangpura, I noticed that the society there would mock and laugh at me due to my small stature and perceived weakness. They would see me as weak and laugh at me. But I knew my own potential and capabilities, what I could achieve, and how strong I could become in the future. I worked hard, ignored the negativity, and strengthened myself.

I didn't let anyone hurt me or let their opinions affect me. I stayed focused on my goals and didn't let anything break my concentration. Because of this, I’ve been able to make my country proud today. If I had let those things bother me, who knows where I’d be now.

Question: Have you ever had a situation where you had a confrontation or said something out of turn?

Answer: 

Many times. Sometimes when people laugh at me or get angry, I would take off my shoes and show them a tough side. There were several incidents like this, but they were all in the same area, not far from the bus stand. I didn’t let these situations scare me; I strengthened myself and knew I wasn’t weak. I understood their ignorance and didn’t let it bother me. I have a bit of a funny nature, so I often laugh and joke, which helps me forget all my worries.

Question: Are you noticing any changes in people's behavior or attitudes towards you now?

Answer: 

There is a slight change in the society I live in. People seem to recognize me more now. After winning the gold, even those who might not have reached out before are calling me, and I’m getting more attention. Friends and others seem to be giving me more recognition. There are so many calls now that I can’t even answer them all.

In the Men's Javelin F41 Final of the Paris Paralympics, Iranian para-athlete Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified. Navdeep Singh had a silver medal finish, but that was turned into gold as a result, adding another medal to India's official count.

The Indian contingent concluded its historic campaign at the Paris Paralympics with 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and thirteen bronze. This was the most medals won by a nation in the history of the competition. India's campaign at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics exceeded their best-ever results, where they won a total of 19 medals: five gold, eight silver, and six bronze.