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India's Paralympic medalist Simran Sharma said that the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with his country's athletes, it does not feel like they are sitting with their PM but rather with their "best friend".
Simran, who secured a bronze medal in the Paralympics 2024 in the 200 m T12 event in Paris, spoke to ANI on the sidelines of the announcement of BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award nominees. "When we are with him, we feel we are sitting with our best friend. When we went there (to the PM's residence for a meeting after the Paralympics), we were nervous as he is our PM. But when we went there, he had fun with us, he made us feel really comfortable by cracking jokes and stuff. This is a big thing for us. Every player's dream is to get a single picture with Modiji. It is also a motivation to win a medal. His support is unbelievable," she said. On getting honoured with the Arjuna Award, which will be given to her by the president Droupadi Murmu on Friday, Simran said that it serves as a motivation for players to move forward and climb the ladder of success further. "We are getting the motivation to change the colour of the medal and to win another award," she added. Simran said that the India's record-breaking haul of 29 medals at the Paralympics 2024, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze, was due to improvement in the country's support system for athletes. "Equipment is getting better. Support from the government and federation is getting better. In Uttar Pradesh, where I'm from, high-class government jobs are being given to able and specially challenged athletes, So if on one side people study to get those jobs, we will be able to get these by playing. This will also motivate us to work harder. Such things motivate a player to perform better," she added. Simran also said that the media has had the biggest role in Parasports' upliftment over the years. "Earlier, there were very few players who were known and on whom movies were made. Now, the media is showing more of these players and people know them. Now when we step out, people recognise us," she concluded. Simran secured gold medal in 200m T12 at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships mein gold in 200 m T12 and also won silver at the 100 m T12 and 200 m T12 events of the 2022 Asian Para Games. (ANI)
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