Havildar Soman Rana makes his place in Tokyo Paralympics 2020 in seated shotput

In another proud moment for India, a soldier has sealed his place in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. Havildar Soman Rana would be competing in the seated shot put event in the F-57 category.

The intriguing thing about Shillong-based Rana is that he is without a leg. The soldier had lost his right foot during a mine blast in 2006 while serving the Indian Army.

Since then, he has decided to become an athlete, as he trained at the Army Paralympic Node in Pune. He has already established himself in the international para-athlete circuit and is ranked second in the category.

“Since its raising in 2017, para-athletes of the node have won 28 international medals and 60 national medals. They have represented and won medals for India in Asian Para Games, World Military Games, World Para Championship and World Grand Prix events,” the Indian Army’s Defence Public Relations Officer quoted in a statement.

“Soman Rana has done our country proud and is an inspiration for all the para-athletes in the Indian Army. He is a strong medal prospect to win a medal in Tokyo Paralympics,” it added.

This year, Rana had won the gold at the Tunis World Para Athletics Grand Prix, along with a couple of golds and silver at the National Athletics Para Championship. In 2017, he was also inducted into the Army Paralympic Node.