NEW DELHI, Mar 13:
Double Paris Paralympics medallist Preeti Pal exploded off the blocks with unrelenting grit to storm to an emphatic victory in the women’s 200m, her commanding run capping a spectacular campaign for India at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix here on Friday.
The hosts completed an overwhelming domination by amassing a staggering 208 medals — an unprecedented haul partially due to relatively sparse international participation, with their supremacy reflected in 75 gold, 69 silver, and 64 bronze.
Preeti was the toast of the final day as she added to her 100m gold from the previous day by storming to victory in the 200m (T35-T37) with a commanding time of 30.26 seconds.
The 25-year-old from Meerut finished well ahead of Russia’s Karina Machulskaia, who claimed silver in 32.22 seconds, while India’s Bina Shambhubha rounded out the podium with bronze in 32.35 seconds.
Russia secured second place with 35 medals (15 gold, 14 silver, 6 bronze), while Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third with three medals (1 gold, 2 silver) in a field of eight teams, including the hosts.
“I narrowly missed the target I was aiming for at the Grand Prix by a microsecond. Overall, things are going well. In four days, I will be heading to the Nationals, and since this is the off-season, I am satisfied with my performance,” said Preeti after clinching her second gold here. (PTI)
“My personal best is 30.03 seconds, and in practice I have already clocked 29.6 seconds, which is encouraging. However, I noticed that I get tired as I approach the finish line, something that didn’t happen before. I am currently working on improving that,” she added. (PTI)
India also dominated the men’s Shot put F57, claiming all three medals. Shubham Juyal won gold with a throw of 14.45 metres, while Bhagat Singh secured silver with 13.29 metres and Priyans Kumar took bronze with 13.07 metres.
From a mark of 13.72m at last year’s World Championships here to an improvement of 0.73m in just five months, Juyal’s leap showcases not only his dedication but also the rising prowess of Indian Army para athletes.
In men’s 200m T35, Vinay won gold with a time of 28.18 seconds, followed by Anubhav Choudhary with silver in 29.49 seconds, while Chui Yiu Bao of Hong Kong claimed bronze.
In men’s 200m T37-T44, India again secured all three medals, with Rakeshbhai Bhatt winning gold in 25.20 seconds, Siddharth Manju Bellary taking silver in 28.23 seconds, and Ravikiran Asarelli finishing with bronze in 31.50 seconds.
Another clean sweep came in the men’s 800m T53-T54, where Manojkumar Sabapathi won gold with a time of 1:57.41, followed by Manikandan Jothi with silver in 2:11.14, and Kamalakanta Nayak with bronze in 2:20.83.
Acclaimed Indian visually-impaired para-sprinter Simran Sharma, who had won the women’s 100m (T12) gold and 200m silver at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships here, hopes she will not lose her medals after her guide runner, Umar Saifi, was provisionally suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.
Saifi tested positive for drostanolone, a banned anabolic steroid, according to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) list released on October 9, 2025. He was provisionally suspended after the test, reportedly conducted during the Delhi State Open on September 7, 2025.
Under International Paralympic Committee (IPC) rules, guide runners in T12 (visually impaired) events are classified as “athlete support personnel”, meaning a doping violation by the guide can lead to the disqualification of the athlete’s results.
However, Simran, who is missing the ongoing World Para Athletics Grand Prix due to injury, said there have been precedents where athletes were not stripped of their medals despite their guide testing positive.
“I am very hopeful that I will not lose my medals. I worked really hard for them. There are examples where athletes have not been stripped of their medals even when their guide tested positive for a banned substance,” Simran said on the sidelines of the Grand Prix.
Simran has since moved on from Saifi’s suspension and now has a new guide runner as she prepares for the Asian Para Games later this year in Japan.
Asked when she expects a final decision on her appeal and when the uncertainty over her medals might end, she said: “I don’t know yet, but I am continuing my preparations for the Asian Para Games. I did not compete in the inaugural Grand Prix of the season in Dubai last month, or in the ongoing competition here, as I want to keep my body injury-free for the Asian Para Games,” she said. (PTI)
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