Nagaland’s para-athlete aims to break personal best at World Para Athletics Championships

Indian para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema is preparing for a major comeback on home soil at the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, aiming to surpass his personal best of 14.88 metres in the shot put.

Hailing from Nagaland, Hokato has built an impressive career with a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and a silver at the 2024 Asian Para Games. His rise has been marked by steady progress, including a 13.72-metre throw at the 2023 National Para Athletics Championships and a silver at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, he threw 14.65 metres to secure India’s bronze and later achieved a personal best of 14.88 metres at the Indian Open in Bengaluru, cementing his status as one of the country’s most inspiring para-athletes.

Reflecting on his journey, Hokato said: "After losing my leg, I used to hide my stump because I was ashamed. Now I wear shorts everywhere. If people stare, I let them. Today, I have put all that energy into my training. I spent hours every day working on strength and conditioning, fine-tuning my technique, and repeating drills until they felt perfect."

He added, "I know breaking records is not just about power--it's about precision, patience, and pushing myself beyond limits. Every morning when I step into training, my only goal is to cross that 15-metre mark at the Indian Oil New Delhi 2025 Para Athletics Championships. I am training harder than ever before so I can create that moment for myself, for my coaches, and for the country."

The championships, scheduled from September 26 to October 5, will be India’s largest para-sporting event to date. Hokato is currently training at the Army Paralympic Node, BEG & Centre TB 2 Dighi camp in Pune, following a regimen of specialised strength conditioning, advanced technical drills, and structured recovery sessions aimed at peaking for the event. His coaches highlight his improved consistency, endurance, and throwing rhythm, raising expectations that he could surpass his own record.