Indian shot-putter Hokato Hotozhe Sema, who bagged a bronze at the Para Asian Games last year, won another bronze at the Paris Paralympics on Friday with a personal best throw of 14.65m in the men's F57 finals.
The 40-year-old Dimapur-born Army man, who had won the bronze medal at the Hangzhou Para Games in 2023, began with a mediocre throw of 13.88m before he hit a purple patch.
The sole athlete from Nagaland who is part of the Indian contingent at the Paralympics touched the 14m mark on his second throw and then improved further with a heave of 14.40m.
Sema, who lost his left leg in a landmine blast while taking part in an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu & Kashmir's Chowkibal in 2002, achieved the best throw in his fourth attempt, going past his personal best of 14.49m on his way to the bronze medal.
Iran's Yasin Khosravi, the 31-year-old two-time para world champion and Hangzhou Para Games gold medallist, clinched the top spot with a Paralympic record of 15.96m.
Brazil's Thiago Dos Santos took the silver with his best throw of 15.06m. Sema, who was encouraged by a senior army official at the Pune-based Artificial Limb Centre to take up the shot put after seeing his fitness, took up the sport in 2016 at the age of 32.
The other Indian in the fray, Rana Soman, silver medallist at the Hangzhou Para Games, finished fifth with a best throw of 14.07m.
F57 category is for athletes with movement affected to a low degree in one leg, in both feet or the absence of limbs.