All posts tagged: World Para Athletics Grand Prix

Shailesh Kumar wins gold, bemoans lack of competition

Shailesh Kumar wins gold, bemoans lack of competition

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 11, 2026 10:51 PM IST Shailesh Kumar, reigning world champion in men’s high jump T63 category, opened his 2026 season with a gold medal at the ongoing World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi on Wednesday. Opening his season with a best jump of 1.84 m, Shailesh had clinched the gold medal last year in front of the home crowd at the World Para Athletics Championships, making it his first major medal. While the mark of 1.84m is below his personal best of 1.91m, Shailesh was happy with the performance given this was the season opener. “I am happy with the result. After the World Championships, I had pain in my left knee. So, our plan was to start the season here and do that with a decent mark. My body felt good today,” Shailesh said after his performance. The athlete from Bihar has his eyes fixed on the upcoming Asian Para Games which is a high-priority competition for the Indian athletes in this calendar. “Since the World Championship, I have …

Para athletes from 20 countries celebrate Holi

Para athletes from 20 countries celebrate Holi

Published by Webster

Para athletes from 20 countries, who participated in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, on Friday celebrated Holi, the festival of colours, after the closing ceremony of the competition at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday night. Leading accessibility organisation Svayam, the official accessibility partner for the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix, organised the celebration along with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). Reinforcing its commitment to making sporting venues more inclusive, Svayam conducted a detailed accessibility review of the venue and provided customised transport solutions, facilitating smooth mobility for all participants during the Grand Prix. Watch: The Indian para athletes took full advantage of the Grand Prix and topped the medals table on the final day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix at New Delhi on Thursday. The hosts finished with a stunning haul of 134 medals including 45 gold, 40 silver, and 49 bronze, ahead of Neutral Para Athletes contingent and Uzbekistan. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights …

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 …

World Para Athletics Grand Prix: For India’s wheelchair racers, hurdles are off the track too | Sport-others News

World Para Athletics Grand Prix: For India’s wheelchair racers, hurdles are off the track too | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

Wednesday was a red-letter day for wheelchair racers Manikandan Jothi and Manoj Sabapathi at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi. The Tamil Nadu para athletes finished 1-2 on the podium in the men’s 400 metre (T54) final, only the second time they have medalled at an international event. “It feels good to finish on the podium. A medal at an event like a Grand Prix is important for ranking points,” Manikandan told The Indian Express after his event. Wheelchair racing comes with its set of hurdles; from lack of spare parts and service centres in India, and an expensive racing cycle. India has a handful of wheelchair racers with not more than 20 competing at the Nationals. Wheelchair racing wasn’t Manikandan’s first choice. Story continues below this ad Manikandan started off in high jump but switched to wheelchair racing on the suggestion of his coach. “I got lucky that I had a sponsor, so I could afford the cycle,” Manikandan said. “The cycle is very expensive and that is one of the …

For para athletics star Vanessa Low, return to India is a full-circle moment | Sport-others News

For para athletics star Vanessa Low, return to India is a full-circle moment | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

12°57′ N 77°37′ E is tattooed on the left arm of multiple Paralympic medalist Vanessa Low of Australia.The co-ordinates are of Bengaluru. Her first-ever visit to India in 2009 was to the Garden City. She was 19 then and it was her first international classification event. She has three more coordinates of Christchurch, Lyon and Doha, host cities of the World Para Athletics Championships. Over a decade and a half since her visit to Bengaluru, the 34-year-old is back in the country as three-time Paralympic gold medalist and three-time World Champion in the T63 Long Jump. She’s in the capital to take part in the first-ever World Para Athletics Grand Prix happening in the national capital. “2009 was my first trip. It was very chaotic. Transport didn’t work well and there were struggles but I loved every minute of it. The reason we are here is the sport and I am so excited to be back,” Vanessa told The Indian Express. Story continues below this ad When asked what has changed from the last time, …

Indians shine on opening day

Indians shine on opening day

Published by Webster

New Delhi: The empty stands at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on the opening day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix did not deter the para athletes’ spirits. Over 200 para athletes from around 20 countries gathered in the capital for the mega event on Tuesday. India made a clean sweep in the Men’s Discus Throw F11 event where Sagar clinched the gold with a throw of 34.84 meters. Balaji Rajendran secured silver with a 26.98 meter throw while Janak Singh Harsana took bronze with a 25.13 meter effort. In the Women’s 100 meters across T35, T36, T38, and T44 classifications, Australia’s Rhiannon Clarke emerged victorious, clocking 13.14 seconds. India’s Preeti Pal, a paralympic medalist, impressed with a silver at 14.85 seconds, while Germany’s Nicole secured bronze at 15.35 seconds. “This is my off season. I just started training two weeks back,” Preethi told The Bridge after finishing second in her event. The Grand Prix will serve as a classification tournament for the young athletes. In the Men’s 100 meters T44 category, India’s Mit Bharatbha …

All set for India’s first-ever World Para-Athletics Grand Prix in Delhi | Sport-others News

All set for India’s first-ever World Para-Athletics Grand Prix in Delhi | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

The track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi was painted with fresh paint and the workers were laying down a new ramp at the entrance of the classification office for smooth operation of wheelchairs as the national capital gears up to host its first-ever World Para-Athletics Grand Prix. The tournament will run from 11th March to 13th March and feature more than 280 para-athletes from 20 countries. India will field a contingent of 145 para-athletes across disciplines, including Paris Paralympics gold medalists Praveen (High Jump T64), Navdeep (Javelin F41), and Dharambir (Club Throw F51). However, big names such as double Paralympic champion Sumit Antil and double Paralympic medallist Yogesh Kathuniya will be missing. The event will feature over 90 competitions and witness participation from elite para-athletes representing 20 countries. Saudi Arabia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Australia, Brazil, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Sri Lanka will be among the participating nations. Story continues below this ad A crucial tournament for India The World Grand Prix is one of the most important events of the Para-Athletics calendar …

New Delhi to host India’s maiden World Para Athletics Grand Prix

New Delhi to host India’s maiden World Para Athletics Grand Prix

Published by Webster

India is set to mark a historic moment in athletics by hosting its first-ever new World Para Athletics Grand Prix at New Delhi’s iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from 11-13 March. The landmark event promises to elevate the country’s track and field landscape. The event will feature over 90 competitions across three days and will witness participation from elite para-athletes representing 20 countries. Para athletes from Germany, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and among others will be participating in the event. The Grand Prix will be graced by the presence of Majid Rashed, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) President, and Tarek Souei, the CEO of the Asian Paralympic Committee, along with key dignitaries from the Indian sports ecosystem. This milestone event reflects India’s growing stature in global para-athletics and reinforces the nation’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and excellence in sports. Devendra Jhajharia, President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), expressed his excitement about this historic event, stating: “Hosting the Grand Prix in India is a testament to our nation’s dedication to para-sports. …