Simran’s personal best powers her to bronze in 200m final

The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for athletes with visual impairments

Braving all odds with a steely resolve, India’s Simran Sharma won the bronze medal in the women’s 200m T12 final here on Saturday, living up to the expectations of a podium finish after missing it by a whisker in the 100m dash.

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Reigning world champion Simran finished third onthe podium with a personal best time of 24.75 seconds in what was a culmination of a journey that was fraught with obstacles right from the day she was born. Cuba’s Omara Durand Elias claimed gold with 23.62, while Venezuela’s Paola Alejandra Perez Lopez bagged silver with an effort of 24.19. The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for athletes with visual impairments.

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Born prematurely

The 24-year-old Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator, where it was discovered that she is visually impaired. With the race for the gold medal becoming a contest between Omara and Paola, Simran was engaged in a battle for the bronze with Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh, who had a better reaction time than the Indian sprinter.

The final surge

However, Simran gave it her all in the final stretch and crossed the line before Hajar, who finished with a timing of 24.91. She had earlier finished fourth in the 100m event. After the disappointment in the 100m competition two nights ago, the 200m race offered Simran a chance at redemption, and helped by her guide Abhay Singh, the athlete went all out to stand on the podium, and succeeded too in her endeavour.

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