Sports

Nagaland's Hokato Sema Becomes World No. 1 in Men's Shot Put F57

By TestNeeti Editorial TeamPublished Thursday, 2 July 2026 2 min readSource: The PrintArticle 10 of 24

In early July 2026, Hokato Hotozhe Sema, a Paralympian from Nagaland, became World No. 1 in the men's Shot Put F57 category in the latest World Para Athletics Rankings. A Subedar in the 9 Assam Regiment of the Indian Army, Sema won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and is an Arjuna Award recipient; he had also won bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. He took up the sport relatively late — around the age of 32 — after being injured in service, and his rise to the top of the world rankings has been hailed as an inspirational story of resilience. He was also recently conferred the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), becoming among the first Paralympians so honoured.

Key Facts & Details

9 points

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Hokato Hotozhe Sema became World No. 1 in men's Shot Put F57 (World Para Athletics Rankings, early July 2026).
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He is a Paralympian from Nagaland and a Subedar in the 9 Assam Regiment of the Indian Army.
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He won bronze at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in the shot put.
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He is an Arjuna Award recipient and won bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games.
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He took up the sport around age 32, after an injury in service.
6
He was recently conferred the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).

Deep Dive

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Para-athletics events are classified (e.g. F57) by the athlete's type and degree of impairment to ensure fair competition.
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The Army Sports institutions and units have produced several of India's top para and able-bodied athletes.
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World Para Athletics maintains world rankings that feed into qualification and seeding for global events.

Exam Focus

Who became World No. 1 in the men's Shot Put F57 category in the 2026 World Para Athletics Rankings?

Exam Relevance & Angle

'World No. 1' Indian achievements are prime Sports GA material. Examiners test the athlete (Hokato Sema), the event/category (Shot Put F57), the rank (World No. 1) and his Paris 2024 bronze / Army link — all clean, testable hooks.

Target Exams

SBI POSBI ClerkIBPS POIBPS ClerkIBPS RRB OfficerIBPS RRB AssistantRBI Grade BRBI AssistantNABARD Grade ASSC CGLSSC CHSLSSC CPOSSC GDRRB NTPCRRB Group DLIC AAONIACL AOUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

Para athletics groups athletes into classes (denoted by a letter and number, e.g. F57 for certain field/throwing events) based on the nature and degree of their impairment, so competition is fair. World Para Athletics, under the International Paralympic Committee, governs the sport and maintains world rankings. Hokato Hotozhe Sema hails from Nagaland and serves in the Indian Army; the armed forces run dedicated sports units that have nurtured many Indian athletes. The Arjuna Award is one of India's top sporting honours, and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military distinguished-service decoration.