Indian Open Para-athletics: Simran, Sumit, Deepthi, Preeti Bag Gold Medals On Opening Day

Indian Open Para Athletics Championship: Shree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru roared with pride and purpose as Day 1 of the 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship, which concluded on a high note, showcasing extraordinary talent and determination from over 262 para-athletes representing states across the country.

The day began with a powerful display in the Men’s Javelin Throw (F12 F64), where double Paralympic medallist Sumit Antil of Haryana reaffirmed his dominance by clinching gold with an outstanding throw of 72.25 meters. His compatriot Manjeet secured silver with a commendable effort of 54.56 meters, while Pradeep Kumar of SSCB earned bronze with a throw of 45.17 meters.

In the F40 F41 Javelin category, Haryana’s golden streak continued with Paris Paralympics champion Navdeep Singh throwing 42.63 meters to secure top honours. Prince, also from Haryana, bagged the silver medal with a 31.90-metre effort, and Delhi’s Ritender completed the podium with a 30.85-metre throw. In the Javelin F46 category, Rajasthan’s Sundar Singh Gujjar emerged victorious with a throw of 64.53 metres, narrowly edging out Haryana’s Rinku Hooda (63.98m) and Uttar Pradesh’s Ajeet Singh (63.25m).

On the track, Uttar Pradesh’s Preeti Pal dazzled the crowd in the Women’s 100m (T35, T37 T42) by winning gold with an impressive 15-second sprint. She was followed by Gujarat’s Bina Mordiay, who clocked 17.20 seconds, while Haryana’s Avani claimed bronze at 20.40 seconds. In the Women’s 100m (T12 T13) category, Simran from Uttar Pradesh continued her fine form, finishing in 12.30 seconds to take the gold, ahead of Odisha’s Janaki Oram (14.20 seconds) and Goa’s Sakshi Kale (14.90 seconds).

In Men’s Shot Put (F56 F57), the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) executed a clean sweep, with Hokato Sema claiming gold with a throw of 14.88 meters, followed by Soman Rana (14.66m) and Shubham Juyal (13.58m). In the Women’s 400m (T11, T12, T13 T20), Telangana’s Deepthi Jeevanji dominated, clocking 56.70 seconds for gold. Gujarat’s Damor Tejal Amaraji (58.70 seconds) and Haryana’s Bhuvi Agarwal (1:09.60) completed the podium.

Tamil Nadu’s Muthuraja Karaiyalan secured the gold in Men’s Discus Throw (F55 F56), while Haryana’s Yogesh Kathuniya and Raman claimed silver and bronze, respectively. In the Men’s 100m (T12), Haryana’s Vishnu emerged victorious with a time of 11.90 seconds, just ahead of Maharashtra’s Shubham Arun Singnath, who clocked 12.33 seconds.

Delhi’s Sujith sprinted to gold in the Men’s 100m (T13) with a time of 11.52 seconds, followed closely by Gujarat’s Meet Tadhani Hareshkumar (11.63 seconds) and Uttar Pradesh’s Priyanshu Kaushik (11.97 seconds). In the T35 category, Haryana’s Vinay took the top spot with 13.87 seconds, while Anubhav Choudhary from Uttar Pradesh (14.16 seconds) and Delhi’s Jatin Singh (14.21 seconds) claimed silver and bronze, respectively.

Delhi’s Chirag outpaced his competitors in the Men’s 100m (T36), winning gold in 12.70 seconds, with Madhya Pradesh’s Arpit Sharma (14.23 seconds) and Haryana’s Sahil (15.37 seconds) rounding off the podium. In the Men’s 100m (T37 T38) category, Gujarat’s Rakeshbhai Bhatt Dhanjibhai clinched gold with a time of 11.89 seconds, edging out Uttar Pradesh’s Shreyansh Trivedi (11.97 seconds) and Delhi’s Dhawan (13.58 seconds).

Punjab’s Vivek Sharma triumphed in the Men’s 100m (T42) with a time of 13.11 seconds, followed by Andhra Pradesh’s Venkateshwarlu Gadi (15.27 seconds) and Rajasthan’s Thakaram Ram Meghwal (16.42 seconds). Kerala’s Mohammed Basil Morssi claimed gold in the T46 T47 sprint, finishing in 10.95 seconds. He was trailed by Tamil Nadu’s Sheik Abdul Kad Mohammed (11.17 seconds) and Maharashtra’s Sunil Daynoba Anpate (11.30 seconds).

Chhattisgarh’s Sukhdev delivered a commanding performance in the Men’s 1500m (T11), winning gold in 4:36.71. Karnataka’s Keshavmurthy Koratiken (4:44.55) took silver, while Paralympian Ankur Dhama of Haryana earned bronze (4:51.65). In the Discus Throw (F57), Delhi’s Atul Kaushik dominated with a gold-winning effort of 45.99 meters, as Uttar Pradesh’s Priyans Kumar and Birbhadara Singh completed the medal lineup.

In Javelin Throw (F33, F53 F54), Uttar Pradesh’s Pradeep Kumar bagged gold, Odisha’s Kamalakanta Nayak took silver, and Delhi’s Abhishek Chamoli secured bronze. In the Men’s Long Jump (T13), Delhi’s Sujith soared to 6.54 meters to claim gold, with Gujarat’s Chauhan Pradip Mafaji (5.7 m) and Andhra Pradesh’s Srihari Boddu (5.64m) finishing second and third.

Rajasthan’s Praveen Sharma emerged victorious in Men’s Shot Put (F11 F20) with a throw of 12.03 metres. Haryana athletes followed closely—Sagar took silver with 11.91m, and Monu Ghangas won bronze with 11.71m. In the Women’s 100m (T12 T13 another strong showing from Simran, she reaffirmed her title, clocking 12.30 seconds to secure gold again, followed by Janaki Oram (14.20 seconds) and Sakshi Kale (14.90 seconds).

This edition of the championship holds critical importance as it serves as the final selection trial for the Indian contingent heading to the prestigious New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships later this year.

Rajasthan’s Praveen Sharma emerged victorious in Men’s Shot Put (F11 F20) with a throw of 12.03 metres. Haryana athletes followed closely—Sagar took silver with 11.91m, and Monu Ghangas won bronze with 11.71m. In the Women’s 100m (T12 T13 another strong showing from Simran, she reaffirmed her title, clocking 12.30 seconds to secure gold again, followed by Janaki Oram (14.20 seconds) and Sakshi Kale (14.90 seconds).

Also Read: LIVE Cricket Score

The 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship concluded on a high note, showcasing extraordinary talent and determination from over 262 para-athletes representing states across the country.

Article Source: IANS