India, July 6 -- From a career-altering injury to becoming World No. 1 para-athlete in the Men's Shot Put F57 category, Nagaland's Subedar Hokato Hotozhe Sema has come a long way. A week after becoming the first Indian Paralympian to receive the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, he reflects on the journey that brought him to the top of para athletics. "In the beginning, I did not even know how to hold the shot properly," says Sema, who, at 19, lost his left leg below the knee in a landmine blast during a counter-infiltration operation along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. "The dream (of joining the Special Forces) ended in one afternoon," shares the 42-year-old, adding, "I did not know what my life in the Army would look like. Nobody prepares you for that kind of silence, when the thing you trained for your whole life is suddenly not possible anymore." Sema credits a 2016 meeting with Lieutenant Colonel Gaurav Dutta at the Army Paralympic Node for introducing him to shot put. "I was 32, starting something completely new... There were days I asked myself if this was foolish at my age," he admits. Sema won a bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games, followed by a personal best of 14.65 metres for bronze at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. "The AVSM and ranking are not mine alone. It belongs to every soldier who was told his story was over after an injury," he says. Sema continues to serve with the 9 Assam Regiment. "My service made me who I am... I am made of steel and grit and a landmine could not take that away," he ends....