New Delhi: Indian athletes delivered an impressive performance on the opening day of the New Delhi 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix, securing multiple gold medals and podium finishes across several track and field events.
In the men’s high jump T42, Shailesh Kumar won the gold medal with a jump of 1.84m, while Ramsingbhai Gov Padhiyar secured silver with 1.65m and Lokesh Mantra claimed bronze with 1.60m, completing an Indian clean sweep.
India also dominated the Men’s High Jump T44 event with Praveen Kumar winning gold with a jump of 1.96m, followed by Unni Renu who secured silver with 1.86m, and Banti, who won bronze with 1.83m.
In the Women’s 100m T35/T37 event, India’s Preeti Pal won the gold medal with a time of 14.46 seconds. Russia’s Margarita Mataeva secured the silver medal with a time of 16.25 seconds, while Karina Machulskaia claimed bronze with a time of 17.38 seconds.
In the Men’s Discus Throw F11/F12, Monu won gold with a throw of 34.30m, Praveen Sharma took silver with 32.96m, and Sanjay Reddy Neelam secured bronze with 30.15m, giving India another podium sweep.
Indian athletes continued their strong showing in the Men’s Discus Throw F37, where Haney won gold with a throw of 59.95m, while Rishi Raj Rathore secured silver with 46.25m and Bhavishay took bronze with 45.35m.
In the Women’s 1500m T11/T12, India claimed all three medals with Soumya winning gold in 5:18.94, Rakshita Raju securing silver in 5:28.30, and Radha Venkatesh taking bronze with a time of 5:25.48.
The Women’s Shot Put F33/F34 saw Galina Lipatnikova of Russia win gold with a throw of 7.39m, while Vera Isakova of Russia secured silver with 6.11m, and Dipika Rani of India claimed bronze with 5.05m.
In the Women’s Shot Put F56, Poonam of India won gold with a throw of 6.85m, followed by Zeljka Sandrk of Bosnia and Herzegovina who secured silver with 6.16m, while Vijayashree Kumar of India claimed bronze with 4.69m.
India swept the podium again in the Men’s 1500m T11, where Ankur Dhama won gold with a time of 4:38.15, Keshavamurthy secured silver with 4:41.91, and Ravikumar Bankalagi claimed bronze with 5:41.80.
In the Men’s 1500m T20, Vladilen Voloshin of Russia won gold with a time of 3:56.01, followed by Kirill Kirikov of Russia who secured silver with 4:08.07, while India’s Bhushan claimed bronze with 4:31.98.
In the Men’s 100m T36/T37/T38, Rakeshbhai Bhatt of India won gold while Vladislav Kostin of Russia secured silver.
Serbia’s Darko Marisavljevic won gold in the Men’s 1500m T12/T13, while Sharath Makanahali of India secured silver and Saurabh Sharma of India claimed bronze.
India dominated the Men’s 1500m T37/T46 with Raman Sharma winning gold, Sharwan taking silver, and Rakesh Bharia securing bronze.
In the Men’s 1500m T53/T54, Ramesh Shanmugam of India won gold while Anil Kumar of India secured silver.
In the Men’s Discus Throw F44/F64, Rakesh Kumar of India won gold with a throw of 49.26m, followed by Pradeep Kumar of India who secured silver with 48.72m, while Roman Andreev claimed bronze with 40.29m.
In the Women’s 100m T53/T54, Kiran Shriram Metkar of India won gold while Kalaiselvi Elango of India secured silver.
India took centre stage in global para sport as the second edition of the New Delhi World Para Athletics Grand Prix got underway today, bringing together around 257 athletes from eight nations for a high-profile international competition in the national capital. The event features competitors from India, Russia, Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Serbia, Bosnia, and Egypt, highlighting the growing international stature of para athletics in the country. Team India has fielded the largest contingent with approximately 219 athletes competing across multiple track and field events and sport classifications.
(IANS)
