India Top Medal Tally In World Para Athletics Grand Prix

Three-time Paralympic champion long jumper Vanessa Low of Australia lived up to her top billing as she easily clinched gold in T61-64 class while India’s Paris Games medallist Preethi Pal bagged a bronze in T35-38 class 200m race on the concluding day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix here on Thursday. India finished on top of the medal tally with a total haul of 134 — 45 gold, 40 silver, and 49 bronze. Around 150 Indians had competed in the Grand Prix while around 100 were from other 19 countries. Vanessa, one of the few top stars taking part in the three-day event, cleared a distance of 4.96m in her third attempt, to stand on the top of the podium.

Zhanna Fekolina, a Neutral Paralympic Athlete, and India’s Bhavani Munniyandi took home the silver and bronze respectively with efforts of 4.13m and 3.51m at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.

T61-64 classification is for those athletes who are competing with prosthesis affected by limb deficiency and leg length difference.

“I am happy with my performance. It’s fun moments here in India. I will be coming back here for the World Para Athletics Championships (in September),” Vanessa said after the event.

She also said she will take part in the 2026 edition of the event.

India has signed a four-year contract with the World Para Athletics to host the Grand Prix annually till 2028.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Preethi, who had earlier secured a silver in the 100m run, added another medal by winning bronze in the women’s 200m T35-38 final, clocking 31.50 seconds.

Rhiannon Clarke of Australia won gold with a timing of 26.76 seconds while Margarita Goncharova, a neutral paralympic athlete, took the silver with a time of 27.00 seconds.

Preethi had created history during the Paris Paralympics in 2024 as she became the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win two medals at the Paralympics by clinching a bronze each in the 100m and 200m T35 category.

T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.

“Clocking 31.50 seconds is all right because I had trained for just over a week. It was off season going on, I was not to compete but still I competed,” she told PTI after her event.

“My goal is to win gold in World Para Athletics Championships here in September. I am hoping to compete outside the country at least once. I am in TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), so let us see.” Indians swept all the medals in the men’s shot put F11–F20 category, as Sagar clinched gold with a throw of 11.47m, followed by Janka Singh with silver with 9.91m and Balaji Rajendran with bronze with 9.89m.

In the women’s long jump T20–T37 event, Irina Sapanzha won gold with a leap of 5.35m while Valentina took silver with 5.16m and India’s Bhuvi Agarwal secured bronze with an effort of 4.16m.

In the men’s shot put F40–F41 event, Denis Gnezdilov, a Neutral Paralympic Athlete, took the gold, followed by Aiaal Sivtsev with silver, while India’s Ravi Rangoli secured bronze.

The men’s 200m T35 event saw Dmitrii Safronov, a Neutral Paralympic Athlete, taking gold with a time of 24.20 seconds. India’s Vinay and Abhishek Babasaheb Jadhav claimed silver and bronze respectively with 29.58 seconds and 31.55 seconds.

In the men’s 200m T37, Neutral Paralympic Athletes displayed exceptional sprinting prowess with a clean sweep of the podium. 

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