Simran Sharma and the Paralympic dream that changed her life

Simran Sharma prepares to defend her 200m crown at the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time.

Simran Sharma is one of India’s prominent track athletes and set to headline the Indian contingent at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi. Born prematurely at six and a half months with visual impairment, it was Simran’s father, Manoj Sharma, who encouraged her to pursue sports and she began earning medals.

However, her career truly flourished when she trained under her husband, Gajendra Singh, who recognized her potential as a sprinter.

Although they had known each other for a long time and shared a love for track, Gajendra recalled something Simran had said that left a strong impression on him. He expressed this candidly during an interview with Khel Now:

“I asked her if she had any goals in life. So what do you want to do?”. Simran reacted to this, adding: “I want to get India written on my jersey”. Inspired by her words, he began training her with that dream as their shared goal.

“I felt that her dreams deserved to be fulfilled, no matter the effort required. I encouraged her at every step, telling her she could do it and that I was with her, ready to go as far as she wanted.

Also Read: Preeti Pal named flag bearer for India at World Para Athletics Championships 2025

When she felt like giving up and said, ‘I cannot do it,’ I reminded her that we are soldiers and we keep pushing forward”, he added. With time, the medals started coming and she began to believe in her abilities.

However, Gajendra feels the story is still incomplete, with more to achieve. He has complete faith in Simran, saying, ‘She’s incredibly hardworking. Right now, I believe in her more than I do myself, knowing I can’t do it, but she can.”

Likewise, Simran believes she couldn’t have been the Simran she is now without Gajendra. Speaking about this during her interview with team Khel Now, she noted: “He is my backbone and for the last 7-8 years, he has stood like a pillar.

Whenever I am in any trouble, he always stands in front of me. Apart from being a coach, he is a very good friend of mine. We are husband and wife later, we are best friends first.”

Along with reflecting on her husband’s role in her journey, Paralympian Simran Sharma spoke about India hosting the upcoming World Para Athletics Championships, her title defense and her comeback at the Paris Paralympics.

About India hosting the World Para Athletics Championships 2025

India will be hosting the World Para Athletics Championships, the first-ever Worlds in South Asia and only the fourth Asian nation to stage the competition. On being asked about the event taking place in New Delhi, she expressed her excitement while also admitting to a bit of nervousness:

“I am very excited about what’s happening in Delhi, especially since it’s on my home ground where I’ve been training for the past 6-7 years.

At the same time, I’m also a bit nervous because people will have high expectations of me winning a medal and that brings its own pressure. We’re working very hard and my top priority is to stay injury-free, because for any athlete, the most important thing is not getting hurt. Our focus is to stay fit and give our best.”

On being asked about her plans to defend the 200m title she won last year in Japan

Simran Sharma won the women’s 200m T12 title at the World Para Athletics Championships held in Kobe, Japan. She admitted there is pressure in defending the title but emphasized that the focus remains on consistent hard work, adding: “Of course, there’s pressure to defend the 200m title.

But with each competition, we learn something new, identifying areas that need improvement. We’re working hard on those and we’ll see how it goes.”

Also Read: More than a Medal: Paralympian Hokato Hotozhe is on mission to inspire people with disabilities

Reflecting on past Paralympics success in 200m after narrowly missing medal in 100m

Sharma opened up about the heartbreaking moment at the Paris Paralympics when she narrowly missed out on a medal. Running with her guide Abhay Singh in the 100m T12, she finished fourth in a time of 12.31s, just behind Germany’s Katrin Mueller, who clocked 12.26s to clinch the bronze medal. Reflecting on this, she stated:

“Honestly, that moment was really tough. Coming from being ranked first in the world in my main event, the 100m, missing out on a medal was heartbreaking and I cried a lot that day.

It felt like any athlete would have been devastated. But my team and my husband were there to support me, reminding me that I couldn’t change what had already happened and that the best thing was to focus on the next challenge.”

“The very next day was the 200m. I went into it with a mindset of doing my best, not worrying about the outcome. But once I reached the final, I knew I wasn’t going home without a medal,” she added. That determination helped her push through and she returned home with the bronze medal in the 200m.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram