Paris 2024 Paralympics: Simran wins bronze in women’s 200m T12 for India’s fourth track medal

By Anuraag Peesara
3 min|
Simran and her guide Abhay with the bronze medal in the women's 200m T12 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Picture by Getty Images

India’s Simran clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 200m T12 final at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Saturday by clocking a personal best timing of 24.75s, alongside her guide Abhay Singh.

The T12 class is for runners with a visual impairment, hence athletes run with a guide on the track.

"A guide is like half the body of an athlete like me," Simran explained. "If he runs well, it will affect me. If he runs poorly, it will affect me."

Abhay Singh is an U20 national champion in the 200m, a title he won in March.

"He has put in as much effort as me to win this. This is his medal and mine. This is our medal," Simran added. "He was more scared than me heading into the final."

Cuba’s Omara Durand, competing in her fifth Games, bagged her third gold medal at the ongoing Paralympics after winning the 100m and 400m earlier. She won the 200m race with a timing of 23.62s. Alejandra Pérez of Venezuela, who finished her course in 24.19s, won the silver medal.

Earlier, Simran, now a two-time Paralympian, took over 25 seconds to complete her track in the heats and semi-finals, but saved her best for the last to win her first Paralympic medal.

"What do I say? I am at a loss for words," Simran said. "More than me, this Paralympic Games medal has been the dream of my husband, who is also my coach.

"This medal is my life. I will try to change its colour at the next Games."

Simran also competed in the 100m final, where she placed fourth. She admitted that her performance was affected by hamstring pain, which weighed on her mind going into the 200m race.

"Ahead of the 200m final, I was quite nervous and scared deep down because I thought, 'If my main event brought me such a result, how might I do well in the 200m?' I couldn't sleep in the past two, three days," Simran said. "But I will sleep well tonight.

"This is quite an emotional moment for me because winning a track medal is special, as it takes a lot of effort to achieve the feat. But I am from India and Indians are by default hard-working."

This is India’s first medal in this category and only the fourth medal overall in track events at the Paralympics, all of which were achieved in the ongoing edition.

Preethi Pal made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a Paralympic medal in track events with a bronze in women’s 100m T35. She added another bronze medal later in women’s 200m T35.

Deepthi Jeevanji is the other medallist, who won a bronze in women’s 400m T20.

Overall, India have won 29 medals so far at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, 17 of which came in para athletics.