On December 1, 2006, Havildar Soman Rana’s life altered irrevocably along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir. A landmine blast during a routine patrol with the 2/8 Gorkha Rifles resulted in a below-knee amputation, abruptly shattering the sporting ambitions of a keen, national-level amateur boxer. | CWG August 1 Updates |
Nearly two decades later, on August 1 at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, the 43-year-old soldier-turned-athlete completed one of the most remarkable redemption arcs in Indian sport. Launching the iron ball to a distance of 13.40 metres, Soman Rana claimed the Men’s Shot Put F57 Gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, securing his crowning achievement after years of relentless perseverance.
Born into a humble farming family in Gaya, Bihar, to Bahadur Rana and Maya Devi, Soman enlisted as a sepoy in the Gorkha Rifles in 2001. Blessed with physical power and agility, he quickly broke into his unit’s boxing team, trading blows in military and national circles.
A FEARSOME HOOK
“He had one of the most fearsome hooks in Indian boxing. He had an intense reputation,” said broadcaster Siddharth Pandey on Sony Sports.
“He was a contemporary of boxers like Vijender and CA Kuttappa. he was that good.”
The landmine injury five years into his service brought a devastating halt to his boxing pursuits. Transferred to the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune for extensive rehabilitation, the young soldier faced a long road back. Most careers in elite sport would have ended there, but Rana’s military discipline kept his competitive instinct alive.
The turning point arrived over a decade later. In 2017, while visiting Pune, Rana joined the Army Paralympic Node under the tutelage of coach Rakesh Singh Rawat. Transitioning to seated shot put at the age of 34, Rana leveraged the upper-body explosive power honed during his boxing days to master the technical nuances of the F57 category.
THE LONG CLIMB BACK TO SUMMIT
Rana’s rise through the para-athletics ranks was steady, defined by near-misses on the world stage that tested his mental fortitude. He missed out on a Paralympic medal by a whisker at Tokyo 2020, finishing fourth, and placed fifth at the Paris 2024 Games.
International podium success eventually arrived with a Silver at the 2022 Asian Para Games and a Bronze at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. Yet, a major multi-sport Gold eluded the veteran.
In Glasgow, at 43, Rana finally broke the threshold. Displaying trademark composure, his 13.40-metre throw put the field beyond reach, ensuring the Indian national anthem echoed across the arena for a soldier who refused to yield to adversity.
A HISTORIC ONE-TWO
Adding lustre to India’s golden afternoon was 30-year-old Shubham Juyal, who clinched Silver in the same event with a strong 13.28m effort. Juyal’s performance ensured a memorable 1-2 podium sweep for India, underlining the nation’s growing depth in field events.
The 30-year-old para-athlete overcame severe spinal cord trauma from a traffic accident to take up seated throw events, training alongside Soman Rana at Pune’s Army Paralympic Node before quickly finding his feet in para-shot put.
Juyal pushed his senior compatriot to the limit in a tense final, but it was Rana’s day to stand atop the podium-a moment 20 years in the making for a soldier who lost a leg to a landmine blast, but never lost his fight.
– Ends
