Indian Army veteran Subedar Hokato Hotozhe Sema has risen from a life-changing combat injury to become the world number one in the men’s F57 para shot-put category.
Sema lost his left leg in a mine blast while serving on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in October 2002. More than two decades later, he is one of India’s most decorated soldier-athletes, with a Paralympic medal, an Arjuna Award and several military honours.
His story highlights the combined importance of prosthetic rehabilitation, peer support, access to sport and long-term clinical follow-up after traumatic limb loss.
Injured while serving on the Line of Control
Sema joined the Indian Army in 2000 after being inspired by military service and the Kargil War.
His first posting was in Jammu and Kashmir. On 14 October 2002, he was seriously injured in a mine explosion during an operation on the Line of Control.
He was initially treated at the Srinagar Base Hospital before being transferred to the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune. There, he underwent rehabilitation and learned to walk using a prosthetic leg.
Sema recalled that walking initially felt unfamiliar and difficult. Swelling and pain in the residual limb delayed the fitting process, and he had to relearn basic movement step by step.
The encouragement of other patients undergoing rehabilitation helped him remain focused on recovery.
Returning to military service
After approximately two and a half months of rehabilitation, Sema returned to his regiment.
His injury meant that he could no longer perform the same armed operational duties, and he was reassigned to administrative work. He continued serving in locations including West Bengal and Shillong.
More than 20 years after his amputation, Sema said using his prosthesis had become a normal part of daily life.
He removes it while sleeping but otherwise describes wearing it as similar to putting on a shoe. His ability to walk naturally means that many people do not immediately realise he is an amputee.
This reflects the importance of long-term prosthetic provision. A person with limb loss may require replacement sockets, feet and other components as their body, activity level and clinical needs change over time.
Discovering para sport years after amputation
Although Sema was interested in sport after his injury, he initially had little information about para-athletic opportunities.
His sporting career began in 2016 when he returned to the Artificial Limb Centre for a replacement prosthetic foot. While waiting at the centre, he began playing table tennis with another patient.
A member of staff noticed his ability and connected him with Colonel Gaurav Dutta, who was involved in developing the Army’s para-athlete programme.
Sema entered his first national competition in Jaipur in 2017 after only a few months of structured training. Despite competing against established medal winners, he won gold.
That result marked the beginning of an international career in seated shot put.
World number one in the F57 category
The F57 classification includes athletes with lower-limb impairments who compete from a seated throwing frame.
Sema won bronze at the delayed 2022 Asian Para Games and followed that achievement with a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
He has competed internationally in countries including China, Morocco, Japan and France and estimates that he has won more than 25 medals during his career.
He is now ranked world number one in men’s F57 shot put and is targeting gold at the Asian Para Games in Japan in October 2026.
Recognised for sporting and military achievement
Sema’s achievements have been recognised through both national sporting and military honours.
He has received the Arjuna Award, the Vishisht Seva Medal and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
The Ati Vishisht Seva Medal is awarded for distinguished military service of an exceptional order. Sema is reported to be the first Paralympian to receive the honour.
His appearance at Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive the medal drew widespread applause, reflecting the exceptional nature of his journey from frontline injury to elite international sport.
The role of prosthetic rehabilitation
Sema’s story demonstrates that successful rehabilitation depends on more than delivering a prosthetic limb.
His recovery involved surgery, residual-limb healing, prosthetic fitting, gait training and repeated access to the Artificial Limb Centre over many years.
The centre later became the place where he was introduced to para sport, showing how rehabilitation facilities can support wider social and sporting participation as well as mobility.
For prosthetists and orthotists, his experience also illustrates the importance of maintaining long-term relationships with users. Changes in activity—from military service to elite throwing—can create new prosthetic requirements and may require different feet, socket designs or alignment strategies.
Para sport as a pathway to confidence and achievement
Sport provided Sema with a new direction more than a decade after his injury.
His experience challenges the idea that rehabilitation has a fixed endpoint. Opportunities for improved mobility, fitness and participation may emerge years after an amputation.
For India, stronger links between prosthetic centres, military rehabilitation programmes, hospitals and para-sport organisations could help identify more potential athletes.
Not every prosthetic user will pursue elite sport, but access to recreation and physical activity can improve strength, confidence, community participation and quality of life.
Hokato Sema’s journey shows what can become possible when clinical rehabilitation is combined with opportunity, determination and sustained institutional support.
- Original Rediff interview
- Paralympic profile: Hokato Hotozhe Sema
- Indian Paralympic Committee
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
- Artificial Limb Centre, Pune
- Rehabilitation Council of India
- International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics