Simran (right) with her guide at Paris Paralympics 2024.© X (formerly Twitter)
India’s Simran Sharma, the reigning world champion, breezed her way into the final of the women’s 200m T12 race with a time of 25.03 seconds at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Friday. Simran had earlier topped her heat and entered the semifinals with a timing of 25.41s. Simran was in the same heat as Germany’s Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt, who had pipped her to bronze on Thursday night in the 100m final. The Indian, who became world champion this year in Kobe, was born prematurely with visual impairment and faced numerous challenges throughout her life, including her father’s chronic illness and eventual passing.
Those difficult days instilled in her fighting spirit and a desire to overcome obstacles.
The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for athletes with visual impairments.
Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator where it was discovered that she is visually impaired.
Her breakthrough came at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championship where she competed despite fear of losing her father.
Although she lost her father shortly after returning from the event, she channelled her grief into motivation, determined to honour his memory through her achievements.
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