New Delhi: India delivered an exceptional performance on Day 2 of the New Delhi 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix, securing multiple podium finishes across track and field events, including several clean sweeps of the podium.
The highlight of the day came in the Men’s Javelin Throw F43/F44/F64, where Paralympic champion Sumit Antil led an all-Indian podium. Antil clinched gold with a powerful throw of 69.25 metres, while Pushpendra Singh secured silver with 56.91m and Poonam Ram won bronze with 49.48m.
After the victory, Sumit Antil said: “This time we have multiple tournaments lined up. I will try to perform well in the upcoming competitions. It is an off-season loading phase for me. I was not expecting such a throw; I expected around 67–68m, but the throw was good today at 69.25m. So I am happy, and my team is happy as well.”
He further added, “I am not changing my technique because we know we are moving in the right direction in our training. Right now, we just need the right conditions where the throw falls perfectly in place. That is why I am participating in tournaments so I can find those conditions somewhere. I am targeting the Asian Games, and the goal is 75m. I haven’t achieved it yet in practice, and no athlete has done it yet, but I am working on whatever improvements are possible in technique or strength to reach that mark.”
India also dominated the Men’s 400m Run T13, with Subodh Bhatt winning gold in 51.88 seconds, followed by Priyanshu Kaushik with silver in 53.19 seconds and Avnil Kumar claiming bronze in 56.91 seconds.
In the Men’s 400m Run T46/T47, Bhavikkumar Din Bharwad secured gold with a time of 49.89 seconds, while fellow Indian Jasbeer finished close behind to take silver in 50.09 seconds. Ivan Cvetkovic of Serbia won bronze with 50.93 seconds.
India continued its dominance in the wheelchair category of the Men’s 400m Run T53/T54, sweeping the podium with Manojkumar Sabapathi winning gold in 54.33 seconds, Anil Kumar taking silver in 57.57 seconds, and Manikandan Jothi securing bronze with a time of 1:01.94.
The women’s events also saw strong performances from Indian athletes. In the Women’s 400m Run T11/T12, Tejalben Amraji Damor won gold with a time of 57.53 seconds, Lalitha Killaka secured silver in 1:07.92, and Shalini Chaudhary completed another Indian podium sweep with bronze in 1:16.79.
In field events, Lakshmi won gold in the Women’s Shot Put F36/F37/F40 with a throw of 7.76 metres, while Akutai Sitaram Ulbhagat claimed silver with 5.49m and Chimi Dema of Bhutan secured bronze with 5.27m.
Even after winning gold in the women’s 100m T35 event, 2024 Paralympics double bronze medallist Preethi Pal was disappointed after she couldn’t deliver her personal best at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix here, having done that consistently for a month while practicing, and said she is already looking at ways to improve in the upcoming races.
The Indian para sprinter clocked 14.46 seconds to claim the top spot at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on the opening day of the competition on Wednesday. However, Preethi said fatigue towards the end of the race affected her execution.
“It was my 100m race. Towards the end I got exhausted and didn’t realise it at that moment. Later I watched the race again to see how it went,” Preethi told IANS.
While the gold medal added to her tally, the Indian athlete stressed that timing remains the more important benchmark, especially with bigger competitions ahead.
“In the Grand Prix, winning a gold medal is not the most important thing — what matters more is the timing. Because our real goal is to win gold at the Asian Games and the Paralympics,” she said.
India also swept the podium in the Men’s Long Jump T42/T63, with Shaliesh Kumar winning gold with a jump of 5.47 metres, Ramsingbhai Govindbhai Padhiyar securing silver with 4.68m, and Solairaj Jagannathan taking bronze with 3.23m.
Another clean sweep came in the Men’s Shot Put F46, where Rohit Kumar clinched gold with a throw of 14.35 metres, Devendra Singh Gurjar won silver with 13.97m, and Lokesh Akula secured bronze with 10.92m.
India continued its strong showing in throwing events with Sahil Salim Sayyad winning gold in the Men’s Discus Throw F51/F55 with 36.83 metres, followed by Sukhchain with silver (30.49m) and Sudhir with bronze (28.78m).
In the Men’s Javelin Throw F12/F13, Manjeet secured gold with a throw of 57.86 metres, Pratik Amrutrao Patil won silver with 50.43m, and Irfan Diwan claimed bronze with 45.39m, completing yet another podium sweep for India.
India also dominated the Men’s Javelin Throw F40/F41, with Sunil Kumar winning gold with 32.58 metres, Prince Kumar securing silver with 31.23m, and Kathir Dhanasekaran finishing with bronze with 18.73m.
Among other performances, Mohit Pal won gold in the Men’s 400m Run T12 with a time of 54.39 seconds, while Lucky Yadav secured silver with 1:04.27.
International athletes also impressed during the competition. In the Men’s 400m Run T20, Russia claimed all three medals, led by Sergei Makarov, who won gold in 49.20 seconds. Meanwhile, Natalia Sainchina of Russia secured gold in the Women’s 400m Run T20, clocking 1:00.52.
With several podium sweeps and standout performances, Indian para athletes continued to demonstrate their growing strength on the international stage at the New Delhi 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
(IANS)
