March 13, 2026 : India delivered an outstanding performance on Day 2 of the New Delhi 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix, securing several medals across track and field events and registering multiple clean sweeps of the podium.

The biggest highlight came in the men’s javelin throw F43/F44/F64, where Paralympic champion Sumit Antil led an all-Indian podium finish. Antil claimed gold with a powerful throw of 69.25 metres. Pushpendra Singh secured silver with a throw of 56.91 metres, while Poonam Ram took bronze with 49.48 metres.

Speaking after the victory, Antil said he was pleased with the result despite not expecting such a long throw. He explained that the current phase of training is focused on off-season loading with several tournaments lined up ahead.

“I was expecting around 67–68 metres, but the throw went to 69.25 metres, which makes me happy. My team is also satisfied with the performance,” Antil said.

He added that he is continuing with the same training approach and is targeting a major milestone in the future. “We know our technique and training direction are correct. We just need the right conditions for the throw to fall perfectly. That’s why I am competing in multiple tournaments. My long-term target is 75 metres for the Asian Games. No athlete has achieved that yet, but I am working on improving strength and technique to reach that mark.”

India also dominated the men’s 400m run T13 event, where Subodh Bhatt won gold with a time of 51.88 seconds. Priyanshu Kaushik secured silver in 53.19 seconds, while Avnil Kumar finished third with 56.91 seconds.

In the men’s 400m run T46/T47 category, Bhavikkumar Din Bharwad clinched gold after clocking 49.89 seconds. Jasbeer added another medal for India with silver in 50.09 seconds, while Serbia’s Ivan Cvetkovic took bronze with 50.93 seconds.

Indian athletes also swept the podium in the wheelchair category of the men’s 400m run T53/T54. Manojkumar Sabapathi secured gold in 54.33 seconds, Anil Kumar won silver in 57.57 seconds and Manikandan Jothi claimed bronze with a timing of 1:01.94.

The women’s events also saw strong performances from Indian competitors. In the women’s 400m run T11/T12, Tejalben Amraji Damor won gold with a time of 57.53 seconds. Lalitha Killaka took silver in 1:07.92, while Shalini Chaudhary secured bronze in 1:16.79, completing another podium sweep for India.

In field events, Lakshmi won gold in the women’s shot put F36/F37/F40 with a throw of 7.76 metres. Akutai Sitaram Ulbhagat secured silver with 5.49 metres, while Bhutan’s Chimi Dema took bronze with 5.27 metres.

Despite winning gold in the women’s 100m T35 event, Indian sprinter and 2024 Paralympics double bronze medallist Preethi Pal said she was not fully satisfied with her performance. She clocked 14.46 seconds to secure first place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but felt fatigue affected her towards the end of the race.

“It was my 100m race. I felt exhausted towards the end and realised it only after watching the race again later,” Preethi said.

She added that timing is more important than medals at this stage, with bigger competitions ahead. “In a Grand Prix, winning gold is not the most important thing. The focus is on timing because our real aim is to win gold at the Asian Games and the Paralympics.”

India also swept the podium in the men’s long jump T42/T63. Shaliesh Kumar won gold with a jump of 5.47 metres, Ramsingbhai Govindbhai Padhiyar secured silver with 4.68 metres and Solairaj Jagannathan claimed bronze with 3.23 metres.

Another clean sweep came in the men’s shot put F46 event. Rohit Kumar won gold with a throw of 14.35 metres, Devendra Singh Gurjar secured silver with 13.97 metres and Lokesh Akula took bronze with 10.92 metres.

India continued to dominate throwing events as Sahil Salim Sayyad won gold in the men’s discus throw F51/F55 with a throw of 36.83 metres. Sukhchain secured silver with 30.49 metres, while Sudhir took bronze with 28.78 metres.

In the men’s javelin throw F12/F13, Manjeet won gold with a throw of 57.86 metres. Pratik Amrutrao Patil secured silver with 50.43 metres and Irfan Diwan claimed bronze with 45.39 metres, completing yet another podium sweep for India.

India also dominated the men’s javelin throw F40/F41 category. Sunil Kumar won gold with a throw of 32.58 metres, Prince Kumar secured silver with 31.23 metres and Kathir Dhanasekaran took bronze with 18.73 metres.

In another event, Mohit Pal secured gold in the men’s 400m run T12 with a time of 54.39 seconds, while Lucky Yadav finished second with a time of 1:04.27.

International athletes also delivered strong performances. In the men’s 400m run T20 event, Russian athletes claimed all three medals, with Sergei Makarov winning gold in 49.20 seconds. Natalia Sainchina of Russia secured gold in the women’s 400m run T20 with a time of 1:00.52.

With several podium sweeps and standout performances, Indian para athletes once again demonstrated their growing strength and depth at the international level during the New Delhi 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix. – IANS