New Delhi, March 13 Preeti Pal, a double medallist at the Paris Paralympics, dominated the women's 200m event with unwavering determination, securing a resounding victory at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix here on Friday.
The hosts achieved a remarkable feat, amassing a staggering 208 medals – an unprecedented achievement partially attributed to relatively limited international participation. This success was reflected in 75 gold, 69 silver, and 64 bronze medals.
Preeti was the star of the day, adding her 100m gold from the previous day to a commanding victory in the 200m (T35-T37) in 30.26 seconds.
25-year-old Preeti from Meerut finished significantly ahead of Karina Machulskaia of Russia, who took silver in 32.22 seconds, while Bina Shambhubha of India secured the 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 my target 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 winning her second gold.
"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.
India also dominated the men's Shot put F57, claiming all three medals. Shubham Juyal won gold with a throw of 14.45 meters, while Bhagat Singh secured silver with 13.29 meters, and Priyans Kumar took bronze with 13.07 meters.
Juyal's performance showcases not only his dedication but also the rising prowess of Indian Army para athletes, having improved from 13.72m at last year's World Championships to 14.45m in just five months.
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.
Simran hopeful she will not be stripped of Worlds medals
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