Simran Sharma won the women’s 200m T12 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya in 24.80 seconds, a Games record. Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh took silver in 25.02, and India’s debutant Tejalben Damor ran a personal best of 25.23 for bronze.
Nagoya, Japan: Simran Sharma has stood on Asian Para Games podiums before, but never on the top step. On Tuesday, India’s Paralympic bronze medallist changed that, winning the 200m T12 in 24.80 seconds, the Games-record mark and the first Asian Para Games gold of her career.
A record on the clock
The 200m T12 class is for athletes with a moderate visual impairment, and Simran runs it with a guide, Shivam, at her side. Together they put 0.22 seconds between themselves and Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh, who finished in 25.02 for silver. The winning time is the mark recorded as the Games record, and it gave Simran the gold that had eluded her at earlier editions of the event.
Redemption after Hangzhou
Simran arrived in Japan with a strong résumé and an unfinished piece of business. She won silver in this event at the Hangzhou Games and bronze in the 200m T12 at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Tuesday turned that history into a first Asian Para Games title.
Tejalben completes an Indian double
The podium had a second Indian name on it. Tejalben Damor, making her Asian Para Games debut, finished in 25.23 seconds, a personal best, to take bronze and complete a gold-bronze finish for India in the class. Tejalben’s next event is the 400m, the distance she calls her best, so a second chance at the podium is already on the schedule.
More to come on the track
Simran’s work in Nagoya is not finished. She returns in the 100m, where she has previously won silver at the Asian Para Games, with a gold already in her bag and the momentum of a record run behind her. Her win joined Deepthi Jeevanji’s Games-record 400m T20 gold and Nishad Kumar’s record-setting high jump among the track-and-field highlights of the day, and it followed India’s 11-medal opening day.
Result: Women’s 200m T12, Asian Para Games, Nagoya. Gold: Simran Sharma (India), 24.80, Games record. Silver: Hajar Safarzadeh (Iran), 25.02. Bronze: Tejalben Damor (India), 25.23, personal best.
