By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): India’s Paralympic silver medalist Deepa Malik celebrated her birthday, attending the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. The legendary athlete, India’s first-ever ladies’s Paralympic medalist, expressed satisfaction on the nation’s progress in para-sports, which has led to the nation internet hosting the world para-athletics meet for the primary time ever.
Deepa, who turned 55 on Tuesday, was chatting with ANI, attending the World Para Athletics Championships at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
Speaking to ANI, she expressed satisfaction in India’s para-sports journey, highlighting how, underneath her tenure because the president of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), the paperwork was began for internet hosting and bidding of the competitors, and the dream was actuality underneath the presidency of Devendra Jhajaria, who’s at present on the helm of the organising and is her successor.
‘On my birthday, a phrase of gratitude to the Almighty, to the federal government, PM Modi, the sports activities ministry and PCI for bringing us to a degree the place we’re capable of host such an enormous and one of the vital standard occasions on the planet. I really feel so proud that in my tenure as PCI president, we began the paperwork and bidding for this, and now, underneath my pal, fellow Paralympian, Devendra, it’s seeing the sunshine of day. Honoured to be right here and see all of it occurring,’ stated the Paralympics 2016 medalist.
Deepa recalled when she obtained her silver within the shot put competitors within the 2011 version at Christchurch, it was an ‘opening of a door’ second for para-athletes on the World Para Athletics Championships.
‘I’m so blissful to see so many athletes carrying the tricolour, breaking world data and bringing medals for the nation. I’m so blissful seeing so many ladies para-athletes collaborating, to seeing Deepthi Jeevanji (ladies’s 400m T20), profitable successive world championship medals,’ she added.
Deepa additionally backed Neeraj Chopra, the celebrity Olympic and world championship gold medalist, who had a poor outing on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with an eighth-place end and a finest throw of 84.03 m, to return good, saying that regardless that it was not Neeraj’s day, the nation ‘will have fun Neeraj on a regular basis’.
‘There is rarely a low for an athlete who has labored sincerely and actually. He has given India large pleasure. I might not name it a low, only a work in progress,’ she added.
Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil and Sandip Singh Sargar made it a most memorable night for India with gold medals within the F64 and F44 Javelin Throw finals, respectively, within the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships on the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on a balmy Tuesday night.
With 2020 Olympic and 2023 World Champion Neeraj Chopra in the home, Sumit Antil buckled all the way down to the duty of chasing the Championship report regardless of being in a league of his personal. He had three throws past the 65m in his first 4 makes an attempt and didn’t relent, although the gold was assured. He nailed a brand new meet report of 71.37m along with his fifth attempt, as per a press launch from the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
It was Antil’s third World Championships gold, probably the most received by an Indian. His earlier victories had are available in 2023 Paris, the place he set a World Record of 70.83m, and in 2024 Kobe, the place he claimed gold with a 69.50m. His willpower to make his hat-trick particular was on proof as he locked his concentrate on his purpose.
Away from the highlight that was skilled sharply on the house Javelin Throwers, 35-year-old Vanessa Low claimed her third World Championships Long Jump T42 gold medal for Australia after having received in 2015 for Germany. She landed a brand new T61 Championships Record of 5.49m so as to add to the gold medals she had received within the 2015, 2019 and 2024 editions.
Ricardo Gomes de Mendonca (Brazil), Magdalena Andruszkiewicz (Poland) and Orla Comerford (Ireland) accomplished the boys’s T37, ladies’s T72 and girls’s T13 dash doubles respectively. Mendonca, who received a hat-trick of 100m crowns within the World Championships, added the 200m gold to his assortment in circumstances that he stated reminded him of residence.
Poland’s Magdalena Anduszkiewicz scripted one of many two new World Records on Tuesday night with a run of 16.82 seconds within the ladies’s 100m T72 closing, enhancing on the mark of 17.07 set by Maria Strong of Australia in 2023. The different World Record was set by Greek Javelin Thrower within the F62 classification with a mark of 35.08m.
Sandip Singh Sargar led India to a 1-2 end within the males’s Javelin Throw F44, held as a separate medal occasion, not like the sooner years when F42-44 have been clubbed with F64. Sandeep, who had received bronze within the F64 competitors final yr, claimed the silver on Tuesday night to set off India’s quest to rise within the medals desk on a pleasant observe.
In the fifth spherical, Sandeep threw the spear to inside 1cm of the chief’s finest effort of 62.68m. But nearly as if wanting to determine his superiority in no unsure phrases, Sandeep Singh Sargar uncorked a throw over 62.82m moments later. Pushpendra Singh, a F43 athlete, obtained his season’s finest throw of 61.94m on his closing try however couldn’t break into medal place.
Edenilson Roberto (Brazil) picked up the bronze medal with a F42 World Record distance of 62.36m on his closing try in an exhilarating competitors that noticed the highest 5 athletes getting their season’s finest throws.
Brazil consolidated its place on the prime of the medals desk with seven gold, 14 silver and 6 bronze forward of Poland (6-1-5) and China (5-7-4). With 4 gold, 4 silver and a bronze, India is in fourth place, due to the 2 gold medals received within the Javelin Throw competitions on Tuesday night. (ANI)