Trained by her husband Gajendra Singh, who works for the Army Service Corps, she trains regularly at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
Simran's hard work and resilience helped her overcome physical and socio-economic challenges and win the T12 200m gold medal at the World Championships. The 26-year-old emerged winner in 24.95 seconds, an improvement from her previous personal best time of 25.16 seconds.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Simran is aiming for podium finishes in the T12 100m and 200m sprints at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games to be held from August 28 to September 8. Look at the next one,” he said, rearranging his goals."They told me now that the World Championships are over, start training for the next major event. So, the next target for the season is the Paralympics. If I am fit and injury free, I will definitely win two gold medals for the country. I will try to bring it." Simran told SAI.
Simran has been winning the National Championships and Indian Open in both 100m and 200m since 2022.He also won two silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year. She won three golds in 100m, 200m and long jump at the inaugural Khelo India Para Games in December 2023 and was included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
Simran could have won the gold medal in 100 meters also but she got disqualified due to a wrong start. As a result, there was immense pressure on him to achieve a place for the Paralympics through the 200 meters race. Naturally, she was happy to book her ticket to the French capital."It was always my dream to be the reason for my national anthem to be played at an international tournament like the World Championships. I was disqualified in the 100m. After this, I competed in the 200m heats and made it to the semi-finals, where I came second. I was a little nervous about whether I would claim the gold," she revealed.
“I sat down and remembered how many times I had been injured, what challenges I had faced in the seven years before I reached this position.The intention was to do my best and I prayed to God to give me the strength to fulfill everyone's expectations. I took this step. “I took the lead at the turn and I am very happy to have secured a place for Paris,” said Simran.
Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator where it was discovered that she was visually impaired. Born to Manoj Kumar, a doctor, and Savita Sharma, a housewife, Simran always knew that the thought of becoming a sportsperson was challenging.The Tokyo 2020 Paralympian's journey with the track began in his hometown Modinagar in Ghaziabad. "My father was bedridden for 14 to 15 years and my mother is a housewife, so financially we were in a very poor condition and it was very difficult to think of taking sports as a career," he said.
However, a meeting with her last husband Gajendra Singh at the MM College grounds in Modinagar in 2015 helped her to run. Gajendra worked on building his muscular strength and stamina before focusing on his technique. Many times he used to request to be available at Modinagar Stadium till late night after returning from work.The couple got married in 2017 amid opposition from their families. “When we used to go for training, people used to tease me for being visually impaired and wearing shorts. I realized that if I had my husband's support, I didn't need anything else,” she said.
In 2019, Simran competed at the World Para Grand Prix to obtain her T13 license. However, Gajendra had to sell a part of his land to finance the license.He said that he is happy that he has proved wrong all those who made fun of him. "When she won the gold medal in Japan, I told them all 'My wife is a world champion.' I am sure she will make India proud.
“I am grateful to SAI and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for the support and for allowing me to compete in the Asian Para Games without selection trials. I was coming back from a hamstring injury suffered during the World Championships.But I won two silver medals in Hangzhou and it was a huge relief,” said Simran.
Now she dreams of reaching the Paralympic Games stage in a few months.
Simran's hard work and resilience helped her overcome physical and socio-economic challenges and win the T12 200m gold medal at the World Championships. The 26-year-old emerged winner in 24.95 seconds, an improvement from her previous personal best time of 25.16 seconds.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Simran is aiming for podium finishes in the T12 100m and 200m sprints at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games to be held from August 28 to September 8. Look at the next one,” he said, rearranging his goals."They told me now that the World Championships are over, start training for the next major event. So, the next target for the season is the Paralympics. If I am fit and injury free, I will definitely win two gold medals for the country. I will try to bring it." Simran told SAI.
Simran has been winning the National Championships and Indian Open in both 100m and 200m since 2022.He also won two silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year. She won three golds in 100m, 200m and long jump at the inaugural Khelo India Para Games in December 2023 and was included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
Simran could have won the gold medal in 100 meters also but she got disqualified due to a wrong start. As a result, there was immense pressure on him to achieve a place for the Paralympics through the 200 meters race. Naturally, she was happy to book her ticket to the French capital."It was always my dream to be the reason for my national anthem to be played at an international tournament like the World Championships. I was disqualified in the 100m. After this, I competed in the 200m heats and made it to the semi-finals, where I came second. I was a little nervous about whether I would claim the gold," she revealed.
“I sat down and remembered how many times I had been injured, what challenges I had faced in the seven years before I reached this position.The intention was to do my best and I prayed to God to give me the strength to fulfill everyone's expectations. I took this step. “I took the lead at the turn and I am very happy to have secured a place for Paris,” said Simran.
Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator where it was discovered that she was visually impaired. Born to Manoj Kumar, a doctor, and Savita Sharma, a housewife, Simran always knew that the thought of becoming a sportsperson was challenging.The Tokyo 2020 Paralympian's journey with the track began in his hometown Modinagar in Ghaziabad. "My father was bedridden for 14 to 15 years and my mother is a housewife, so financially we were in a very poor condition and it was very difficult to think of taking sports as a career," he said.
However, a meeting with her last husband Gajendra Singh at the MM College grounds in Modinagar in 2015 helped her to run. Gajendra worked on building his muscular strength and stamina before focusing on his technique. Many times he used to request to be available at Modinagar Stadium till late night after returning from work.The couple got married in 2017 amid opposition from their families. “When we used to go for training, people used to tease me for being visually impaired and wearing shorts. I realized that if I had my husband's support, I didn't need anything else,” she said.
In 2019, Simran competed at the World Para Grand Prix to obtain her T13 license. However, Gajendra had to sell a part of his land to finance the license.He said that he is happy that he has proved wrong all those who made fun of him. "When she won the gold medal in Japan, I told them all 'My wife is a world champion.' I am sure she will make India proud.
“I am grateful to SAI and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for the support and for allowing me to compete in the Asian Para Games without selection trials. I was coming back from a hamstring injury suffered during the World Championships.But I won two silver medals in Hangzhou and it was a huge relief,” said Simran.
Now she dreams of reaching the Paralympic Games stage in a few months.
