Credit: Special Arrangement
It was the kind of moment every athlete dreams of. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi was buzzing, thousands chanting “Bhaag Simran Bhaag!” as the crowd held up placards with her name.
For Simran Sharma, the Paris Paralympic bronze medallist, it wasn’t the first time she had raced before a packed house. But this time, competing at home, it hit differently. The Meerut sprinter was no longer just another athlete on the track; she was the star of her own blockbuster.
“It honestly felt like I was in a movie where I was the hero,” Simran tells DH with a grin. “Right from the call room, people were cheering for me. Some wished me luck, others shouted ‘Didi gold medal jeet ke ana (Didi, bring gold medal).’ When I stepped onto the track, the roar of the crowd gave me goosebumps. I just knew I had to deliver my best performance.”
And she did. The 25-year-old para athlete dazzled the Delhi crowd by winning the women’s T12 100m race in a national record time of 11.95 seconds, just 0.03 seconds shy of the Asian mark. Guided by her running partner Umar Saifi, Simran powered through the finish line to claim gold, which was also her first in the event.
She didn’t stop there as the 200m defending world champion clocked 24.46 seconds in the 200m final, smashing the Asian record to clinch silver. It was a performance worthy of a standing ovation, and she got just that.
Biggest supporter
Behind the spotlight, however, stands her biggest cheerleader: her husband and coach Gajendra Singh. Simran credits him for being her rock through every hurdle, both on and off the track. Before the sponsorships and government support came through, the couple went through some tough days financially.
“There were times when he ate less just so I could get the nutrition I needed,” Simran recalls.
“He never let me feel like we were struggling, but I knew what he was giving up for me.”
Gajendra, an Army man, has been her guide long before Umar took the track role. His toughest battle wasn’t on the field, but at home. Back in 2017, he had to convince his parents to accept his decision to marry a visually impaired woman. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “People had their doubts. But I told my family clearly if I can’t marry Simran, I won’t marry anyone. I asked them not to worry about others because she would one day make us all proud.”
That faith has been richly rewarded. As the Singh family cheered their daughter-in-law from the stands during her gold-medal run, the moment felt like a full-circle victory, not just for the athlete, but for everyone who stood by her.
Now, the couple is already looking ahead. Gajendra has his eyes on a specific goal: “We missed the Asian record in the 100m by just a whisker. That’s an unfinished business for the Asian Para Games next year.” Simran, ever the go-getter, has an even bigger plan. Cutting her husband off mid-sentence, she said, “I’m going for three medals next time, in three different events. That’s my next mission.”
From humble beginnings to a roaring home crowd, Simran’s story reads like a script from a feel-good sports drama, except this one’s real. And if her latest chapter is anything to go by, the sequel promises to be even more thrilling.