I don't entertain people who mocked me before: Javelin gold medallist Navdeep

Paris Paralympics javelin star Navdeep Singh revealed that he was ridiculed by people around him for the majority of his life. Ask if those people reached out to him after his success, Navdeep said that he does not entertain them anymore.

In Short

• Navdeep Singh won gold medal in men's F41 javelin
• Navdeep revealed that he was ridiculed a lot
• The javelin star said that he does not entertain ridiculers who now come for photos

Paris Paralympics gold medallist Navdeep Singh said that he does not entertain people who earlier used to mock him for his appearance. Speaking at the India Today Mumbai Conclave, Navdeep said that people who used to ridicule him now come for photos and selfies since his fame in Paris, but he has a strict policy to not entertain anymore.

Speaking at the Conclave, Navdeep revealed that he has been mocked and ridiculed throughout his life for his height. The star javelin thrower in the F41 category said that he received way too many passing comments. Navdeep said that if he sat and started counting them, people would be sitting there for days.

"There were many passing comments early on, there were no limits to them. If I start counting them, we would be here for 2 days. But I did not pay too much heed to it. If I would pay attention to them, I would not have been able to be here. I would have gotten stuck trying to deal with them. My motive was to do something big, something different, that people know me," the star javelin thrower said.

India Today Mumbai Conclave 2024: Full Coverage

"I would not like to recall those comments, most of them are hurtful. But say Sumit calls me lambu (tall), with love, but that is between him and me, the rest of it I do not like," Navdeep explained.

Asked if the same people come to him for selfies and autographs, Navdeep said that he does not entertain them anymore.

"I do not entertain those people (ridiculers) anymore," Navdeep concluded.

This was not the first time that Navdeep spoke about the struggles of being a specially-abled person in a country like India. Navdeep has raised awareness multiple times that specially-abled people are treated poorly in this country.

“Aapko kya lagta hai hume hausla kaha se aata hai? Jab wo bolte hain ki tu kuch nahi kar sakta. Isse acha to tu suicide kar le. Ye kya jeewan hai tera [Where do you think we get our courage from? When they say you can't do anything. It's better if you just commit suicide. What kind of life is this for you?],” Navdeep told Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel.

Further speaking ahead, Navdeep remembered his late father who helped him start his sporting journey.

“Shuruwat unhone karwai thi. Har jagah saath the [He was the one who got me started. He was with me every step of the way],” Navdeep added.

In Paris, Navdeep also shattered the Paralympics record with a powerful throw of 47.32 metres, surpassing the previous record held by China's Pengxiang Sun from Tokyo 2021. He originally finished in the silver medal position with Iran's Beit Sadegh taking the top spot with a throw of 47.64 meters.

However, the Iranian athlete was disqualified due to unsporting conduct after he flaunted a controversial flag after his victory which pushed Navdeep in the gold medal position. The Haryana-born athlete stands at just 4 feet 4 inches tall, but the stature of his achievements has left everyone in awe of his grit and determination.