Indian para-athletes record best-ever finish at World Championship, earn 17 quota places for Paris Games
The Hindu
India's best-ever show at World Para Athletics Championships w/ 10 medals & 17 quota places for 2024 Paralympics. Sumit Antil won gold & world record, Ajeet Singh & Rinku Hooda 1-2 in javelin, Sachin Khilari gold in shot put, Nishad Kumar silver & Asian record in high jump.
Headlined by Sumit Antil's world record show, the Indian team returned home from the Paris World Para Athletics Championships with 10 medals, including three gold, and 17 quota places for the 2024 Paralympics in the French capital.
This was India's best-ever show at a World Para Athletics Championships surpassing the mark at Dubai 2019 Worlds that had nine medals. India had won five medals in 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London.
Not just in terms of medals, new stars emerged at Paris who registered their personal best, won their first-ever medals and joined the seasoned names among the top performers. There were women winners too, who won both medals and quotas, to leave a mark at the championships.
Antil, who competed in his first major competition since his record-breaking performance at 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, put up an incredible show to add a Worlds gold at the Charlety Stadium in Paris.
The 25-year-old from Sonepat went on to improve his own world record mark with a throw of 70.83m, finishing ahead of Australian Michal Burian (65.21) and Sri Lanka's Dulan Kodithuwakku (64.06).
"Being a world champion with a new world record is something I am really proud of!!! Thank you everyone for your love and support!!! JAI HIND," tweeted the Paralympic and world champion, who has a silver from the Dubai 2019 Worlds.
Antil's show was followed up by his fellow thrower Ajeet Singh and Rinku Hooda taking the 1-2 positions in men's javelin finals.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.