India eyes best ever show in biggest World Para Athletics Championships

NEW DELHI: Some of the globe's best para athletes, including blade runners, prosthetic jumpers and wheelchair-bound competitors, will showcase their awe-inspiring grit and resilience on the sporting field when the biggest ever World Para Athletics Championships begins here on Saturday.

India, a rising power in para sports, including para athletics, has rolled out top-class facilities for the 12th edition of the showpiece, which will run till October 5 at the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

With 2200 athletes and officials from 104 countries participating in the nine-day showpiece, the New Delhi edition is the biggest in history, with India joining Qatar (2015), UAE (2019) and Japan (2024) as the fourth nation to host the prestigious event.

The para athletes, numbering over 1500, will compete across 186 medal events, 15 more than the 2024 edition in Kobe, Japan.

The championships promise top-class performances as over 100 medallists who altogether won 308 medals in Paris Paralympics, including 112 gold, 96 silver, and 100 bronze, are set to test their mettle on the grandest para athletics stage.

There will be 101 events for men, 84 for women, and one mixed in the championship. World Para Athletics President Paul Fitzgerald said new world records will be made and new champions will be crowned, and praised India for providing top-class facilities for the event.

"This edition will be the largest single event para championships in history and credit to India for hosting this," he said.

"Spectators inside the stadium and a global audience around the world will experience the brilliance of the athletes competing in newly renovated facilities designed to maximise their skill, speed and strength."

The centre-piece of the event is the Mondo track laid at the competition venue as well as the warm-up area, considered to be the first instance of the high performance surface at both the arenas.

The track, which is made of two-layered vulcanized rubber, has been widely lauded for its uniform elasticity, shock absorption, and anti-slip qualities, that enhance the performance of athletes and reduce the risk of injury.

The warm-up area has also been fitted with LED floodlights so that the athletes can also do practice after sunset or early in the morning.

A top-class fitness centre has also been built beside the warm-up area for the use of athletes before competition.

Para athletics stars to descend at JLN Stadium

A number of world's best para athletes will vie for the top honours and among them will be 'Blade Jumper' Markus Rehm of Germany, wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland and fastest para sprinter Petrucio Ferreira of Brazil.

Rehm, a four-time Paralympic champion and seven-time world champion in the men's long jump T64, holds a world record that surpasses every Olympic gold medal jump this century.

Debrunner, who made headlines with five gold and a silver across six events in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, will compete in five races in New Delhi, aiming to replicate her monumental success in the last edition.

India's pride, Sumit Antil (left leg amputated following an accident), is a two-time Paralympic gold-medallist and defending champion in men's javelin F64.

Praveen Kumar (born with a a congenital impairment resulting in a shorter leg) is Paris Paralympics champion in men's T64 high jump. He is eager to complete his medal collection with a World Para Athletics Championships gold on home soil.

India hoping for top-5 finish

Fielding its largest ever contingent of 74 athletes, India is aiming to finish in the top five in the medal tally. The Paralympic Committee of India is hoping for more than 20 medals for the country on the back of consistently improving performances in the last two editions and the Paris Paralympics.

India won nine medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze) in the 2019 edition in Dubai, 10 (3 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze) in 2023 in Paris and 17 (6 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze) in 2024 in Kobe, Japan for a sixth place finish.

Deepthi Jeevanji (women's 400m T20), Sachin Khilari (men's shot put F46), Sumit, Ekta Bhyan (women's club throw F51) and Simran Sharma (women's 200m T12) will hope to defend the gold they had won in 2024.

Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won gold in 2024 in men's high jump T42, is not competing this time.

China is the most successful country in World Para Athletics Championships, having topped the medal tally in the last four editions. In 2024, China grabbed a whopping 87 medals, including 33 gold.

This time too, it has sent a big contingent hoping to continue its dominance in the championships.

On Saturday, there will be medal events in men's 5000m T11, men's 100m T71, women's 100m T71, men's 100m T47, women's 400m T20, women's long jump T37, men's long jump T11, women's shot put F41, women's shot put F36, men's shot put F37, women's discus throw F53, men's high jump T63, women's javelin throw F46.