Sumit Antil, Navdeep Singh bag gold on Day 1 of Indian Open Para Athletics Championship

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

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. The event is supported by Balmer Lawrie, Association Mutual Funds of India (AMFI), PlayAble by HDFC Ergo and Leonard Cheshire Disability, as per a release from the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).

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-meter effort, and Delhi’s Ritender completed the podium with a 30.85-meter throw. In the Javelin F46 category, Rajasthan’s Sundar Singh Gujjar emerged victorious in with a throw of 64.53 meters, narrowly edging out Haryana’s Rinku Hooda (63.98 meters) and Uttar Pradesh’s Ajeet Singh (63.25 meters).

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 (14.66 meters) and Shubham Juyal (13.58 meters). 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 Abhisehk 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 (5.71 meters) and Andhra Pradesh’s Srihari Boddu (5.64 meters) finishing second and third, the press release added.

Rajasthan’s Praveen Sharma emerged victorious in Men’s Shot Put (F11 & F20) with a throw of 12.03 meters. Haryana athletes followed closely–Sagar took silver with 11.91 meters, and Monu Ghangas won bronze with 11.71 meters. 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).

The energy and excellence displayed at the Kanteerava Stadium on Day 1 laid a strong foundation for what promises to be a historic championship. As the Indian para athletics community eyes the upcoming World Championships in New Delhi, the performances today are a clear indication that the athletes are ready to shine on the global stage. (ANI)