All posts tagged: para athletics

Sumit Antil’s arduous road to world record number 10

Sumit Antil’s arduous road to world record number 10

Published by Webster

“Upar wale ki marzi thi ki thoda sangarsh se yeh record mile (It was God’s will that I earn this world record after a bit of struggle),” Sumit Antil says of his latest conquest. The reigning world para champion produced an unprecedented 74.82m throw in the men’s javelin throw F64 final at the eighth Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru last week. For the 27-year-old Haryana native, the last three years have been the longest he has gone without breaking his own world mark. Antil had achieved the feat a whopping nine times between 2019 and 2023. In an Olympic cycle where he has set eyes on defending his Asian Games crown as well as winning his fourth world title and third Paralympic title, Antil sees the new world record as rediscovering old form. “Yeh aap search kar lena kitni bar world record toda hai (This, you can search how many times I have broken the world record). But for the last three years, I could not do my best. At the World …

Para athlete Chirag Tyagi murdered; fellow athlete arrested

Para athlete Chirag Tyagi murdered; fellow athlete arrested

Published by Webster

Just days after he clinched a gold medal at the 2026 Indian Open Para Athletics International Championship in Bengaluru, 400m sprinter Chirag Tyagi was found dead in Ghaziabad on Saturday. Tyagi, who had won the men’s 400m T12 event with a timing of 50.12s, was reportedly shot dead. The 25-year-old para athlete was found with a bullet injury at Sai Upvan in the Kotwali Police Station area. As per a report in The Week, the accused is a fellow para athlete by the name of Yash Khatik. “Prima facie, the case appears to be a murder,” Dhawal Jaiswal, DCP Ghaziabad, was quoted by media. “CCTV footage showed a suspect who was detained and questioned. He confessed to the murder. The accused has been identified as Yash Khatik,” he added. Khatik and Tyagi used to train together previously with both competing in separate categories for visually impaired athletes. Tyagi had reportedly filed a complaint against Khatik surrounding his documents, which led to the latter’s Asian Para Games qualification being nullified. Hence, he committed the murder in …

Paralympic champion Sumit Antil sets new world record in men’s Javelin

Paralympic champion Sumit Antil sets new world record in men’s Javelin

Published by Webster

Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil bettered his own World record in the men’s F64 Javelin throw event at the Indian Open Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru on Wednesday. He unleashed a massive 74.82m throw in his fifth attempt to improve on his personal best and previous world record of 73.29m to win the title. “I was wondering why I wasn’t able to better it (World Record) in competition. It’s been so long, but today I came here just to do my personal best,” said Sumit to the Bridge after his world record. #News | A new Personal Best for Sumit Antil. The Paralympic champion unleashed a massive 74.82m throw at the Indian Open Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru. It will also count as a new World Record if ratified by World Para Athletics.#Parathletics #Javelinthrow📷Getty pic.twitter.com/hUjPCZsDKk — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) May 27, 2026 Sumit had last set the world record at the 2023 Asian Para Games in China. Three years later, he has now improved his own world record for the seventh time with a huge …

India to field its largest contingent

India to field its largest contingent

Published by Webster

India will once again take centre stage in global para sport as the second edition of the New Delhi World Para Athletics Grand Prix takes place from March 11-13, bringing together around 257 athletes from eight nations for a high-profile international competition in New Delhi. The event will feature athletes from India, Russia, Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Serbia, Bosnia, and Egypt, highlighting the growing international presence of para athletics in India. Team India will field the largest contingent, with approximately 219 athletes competing across multiple track-and-field events and sport classifications. India’s top para-athletes are expected to compete at the Grand Prix, including Paralympic gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu, Paralympic champion and world record holder Sumit Antil, and Paralympic gold medallist Praveen Kumar. The Indian line-up will also feature prominent athletes such as Ajeet Singh, Devendra Singh Gurjar, multiple Asian Para Games medallist Ankur Dhama, T12 sprinter Simran, who won gold at the 2025 World Championships, and Preeti Pal who won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the women’s 100m and 200m T35 race …

More medals and a big rise around the World

More medals and a big rise around the World

Published by Webster

The Indian para sports ecosystem has been growing exponentially over the years, having multiple world championship titles and Paralympic medals across various sports. Historically, India has won 60 medals at the Paralympic Games, but 48 of those were won in just the last two editions, showcasing the country’s rise in this sport. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, India accounted for almost half (29) of its all-time Paralympic medals, securing a historic first top-20 finish on the medal table. This rise in Indian para sports is not a one-off. The country has regularly been on an upward trend and has shown consistency across tournaments. Historic Asian Para Games India had a phenomenal outing at the 2023 Asian Para Games, surpassing three digits in medal count for the first time with a historic tally of 111 medals, finishing fifth overall. This was a massive increase for India from the last edition, where they had 72 medals, implying the continuous progress across various para sports programmes in India. To explore more opportunities across various sports, click here for …

Those who mocked me now welcome me: Deepthi Jeevanji

Those who mocked me now welcome me: Deepthi Jeevanji

Published by Webster

There was a time when people advised her parents to send her away. They mocked her appearance, questioned her future, and dismissed her potential before she had even discovered it herself. Today, those same lanes of doubt have given way to tracks of triumph, as Deepthi Jeevanji runs not just for medals — but for India. “I used to run barefoot in school,” she said ahead of the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards 2025, reflecting on her childhood in Kalleda in the Warangal district of Telangana. Running was never a strategy; it was instinct. What no one could have predicted then was that the girl racing across dusty school grounds would one day represent India on the international stage in the T20 400m category. Diagnosed with an intellectual disability at a young age, she grew up hearing whispers that she was “different.” For many families, such stigma can become a burden. For hers, it became a reason to believe harder. “If my parents had listened to what people said, I wouldn’t be here …

Mahendra Gurjar sets F42 javelin world record

Mahendra Gurjar sets F42 javelin world record

Published by Webster

India’s Mahendra Gurjar etched his name in history books on Sunday when he registered a world record throw at the Nottwil World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Switzerland. Gurjar’s remarkable throw of 61.17 meters secured him the gold and record in the F42 javelin throw category. Athletes with movement moderately affected in one leg participate under the F42 classification. His throw surpassed the previous world record of 59.19 meters set by Brazil’s Edenilson Roberto Floriani in 2022. 🇮🇳India’s Mahendra Gurjar sets a new World Record at the Nottwil World Para Athletics Grand Prix! 🔥🔥 The 27 y/o threw 61.17m, which is a new WR in the F42 category. pic.twitter.com/eva1H7C4TA — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) May 26, 2025 The javelin thrower from Rajasthan threw 56.11 meters in his first attempt and surpassed the record in his third attempt. Over 250 athletes from 40 countries were competing in the sixth World Para Athletics GP of the season in Switzerland from May 23-25. He had won gold with an effort of 55.31m at the 23rd National Para Athletics Championship …

58 Indian athletes get classified at Para Athletics Grand Prix in Delhi

58 Indian athletes get classified at Para Athletics Grand Prix in Delhi

Published by Webster

The Indian contingent concluded the 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix with a rich haul of 134 medals. For some, the Grand Prix was a platform to showcase their talent, for other, making it to the starting line was a victory in itself. A total of 58 Indian para athletes including 32 physically impaired, 17 visually impaired and 9 intellectually disabled athletes benefitted from the grand prix and got classified. Normally, a para athlete travels at their own cost to get classified and be eligible to compete. Classification is a system that groups together athletes with similar level of physical disability to ensure fair competition. The hosts had fielded a strong 142 competitors for the three-day global event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. “The GP was a golden chance for our new para athletes,” said India’s para chief coach Amarjeet Singh to The Bridge. “When we travel for international tournaments, we have less classification slots. Also, there are some disabilities, with which, we face lot of difficulty moving around. Our grass route …

What goes into classification process in Para Athletics, and why are competitors often disqualified

What goes into classification process in Para Athletics, and why are competitors often disqualified

Published by Parlour News

India will host the World Para-Athletics Grand Prix at the Capital’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from Tuesday. The three-day event will witness participation of 250 competitors from 20 countries. Various event categories based on the impairments of the athletes is the basis of para sport. In Para-Athletics, the classification process is multiple-layered and takes into consideration various factors. This can often result in confusion and even disqualification of athletes, sometimes just before an event or even after they have won a medal. Story continues below this ad The Indian Express explains the finer points of the classification process that takes place during Para-Athletics events. Q: What is classification in Para-Athletics? It is a process that determines which athlete will compete against each other in an event. It is done to group together athletes with similar levels of physical ability to allow fair competition. Q: What are the criteria for classification? The main criteria for any para-athlete to be eligible for a classification are: an underlying health condition which is permanent in nature and meets the minimum …

I see pride in my son’s eyes, says three-time Paralympic gold medalist Vanessa Low

I see pride in my son’s eyes, says three-time Paralympic gold medalist Vanessa Low

Published by Webster

Three-time Paralympic gold medalist and reigning world champion long jumper Vanessa Low’s day starts with waking up her toddler Matteo, followed by her commitments as a full-time athlete. Four track and six gym sessions during the week, a little bit of pilates and recovery sessions consume a large portion of her time. The Australian has had two above-knee amputations of her legs while her husband Paralympic gold medallist Scott Reardon has one prosthetic leg. Her three-year-old son, she says, is the odd one out in the family and has friends that are inquisitive of his parent’s prosthetics. The 34-year-old made her international debut at the World Games in Bangalore representing Germany 16 years ago. The sport and Vanessa have come a long way since. And despite having achieved almost everything that the sport offers, Vanessa is still hungry – for one more Olympics and another 6-meter mark. Vanessa opened up to The Bridge on the sidelines of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2025. Excerpts from an interview: Having a toddler at home, what efforts …