Niket Dalal, India's First Visually Impaired Ironman, Found Dead

In a tragic incident that has emerged from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, India has lost its first and the world's fifth differently-abled Ironman, Niket Srinivas Dalal. Niket was found dead on Tuesday morning due to a fall from the second floor of a hotel in the Samarthnagar area. The accident took place around 8 am. Niket Dalal was the son of former Deputy Mayor Lata Dalal. According to reports, a fire broke out at their home on the night of June 30.As the house was deemed unsafe, his friends arranged for him to stay at a hotel around 2:30 am.

However, the next morning, on July 1, Niket was found fallen in the hotel's parking area. The tragic incident has sent a wave of grief across the entire city.

A speech therapist by profession, Niket had created history in 2020 when he finished the Ironman Triathlon, becoming the first blind athlete to achieve the feat.

The Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, which Dalal managed to finish in the fastest time, included a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bicycle ride, and 21.1 km run.

Niket lost his eyesight in 2015 due to glaucoma. At that point, he was employed as a speech therapist in his hometown, Aurangabad. An athlete by passion, Niket had already won three medals in national level swimming. 

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