Bhubaneshwar: The 24th National Para Athletics Championships 2026, held from March 17–21 in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, concluded on a high note with Haryana emerging as the overall champions after a dominant performance across track and field events.
Haryana topped the medal tally with an impressive 95 medals, including 39 gold, 31 silver, and 25 bronze. Tamil Nadu secured second place with 51 medals (14 gold, 20 silver, 17 bronze), while Gujarat finished third with 30 medals (14 gold, 11 silver, 5 bronze). Host state Odisha finished ninth with a total of 17 medals, including 5 gold.
The championships witnessed participation from 1,460 para-athletes representing 28 states, along with teams from the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), competing across 145 medal events.
In the Men’s Discus Throw F11, Haryana’s Monu Ghangas clinched gold with a throw of 35.05m, ahead of Rajasthan’s Praveen Sharma (33.69m) and Andhra Pradesh’s Neelam Sanjay Reddy (31.34m).
In the Men’s Discus Throw F51–F52–F53, Ram Ratan Singh of Uttar Pradesh secured gold with 11.98m, followed by Haryana’s Pranav Soorma (10.97m) and Dharambir (9.61m).
Gujarat’s Damor Tejalben Amaraji delivered a strong performance to win gold in the Women’s Long Jump T11–T12with a jump of 4.95m, while Odisha’s Janaki Oram and Delhi’s Shivani Tyagi secured silver and bronze respectively.
In the Women’s Javelin Throw F12–F13, Kipa Mero of Arunachal Pradesh claimed gold with a throw of 23.76m, followed by Gangavya of Karnataka and Astha Tokas of Haryana.
Haryana continued its dominance in field events with Haney winning gold in the Men’s Discus Throw F37 (49.65m), while Gujarat’s Manav Prajapati and Haryana’s Bhavishay secured silver and bronze.
In track events, Gujarat’s Bhatt Rakeshbhai won gold in the Men’s 200m T37 with a time of 24.25 seconds, while Maharashtra’s Abhishek Babasa Jadhav topped the podium in the Men’s 200m T35.
Long-distance events saw standout performances from Saurabh Sharma of Himachal Pradesh, who won the Men’s 5000m T13 (16:00.88), and Haryana’s Ankur Dhama, who clinched gold in the Men’s 5000m T11 (17:47.54).
Among other notable performances, Odisha’s Suchitra Parida won gold in the Women’s Javelin Throw F56, while Uttar Pradesh dominated the Men’s Discus Throw F64, with Kartik Chahal and Sagar Thayat securing gold and silver respectively.
(IANS)
