Who Shone on the Opening Day of Indian Open Para-athletics?

Bengaluru, July 11 (NationPress) The Shree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru echoed with pride as the inaugural day of the 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship unfolded, culminating on an exhilarating note and highlighting the remarkable talent and spirit of over 262 para-athletes from various states across the nation.

The day kicked off with an impressive performance in the Men’s Javelin Throw (F12 & F64) category, where the double Paralympic medallist Sumit Antil from Haryana solidified his supremacy by winning gold with a remarkable throw of 72.25 meters. His teammate Manjeet clinched the silver with a notable effort of 54.56 meters, while Pradeep Kumar from SSCB took home the bronze with a throw of 45.17 meters.

In the F40 & F41 Javelin category, Haryana's golden journey continued with the Paris Paralympics champion Navdeep Singh achieving a throw of 42.63 meters for the top spot. Prince, also hailing from Haryana, secured silver with a throw of 31.90 meters, while Delhi’s Ritender completed the podium with a distance of 30.85 meters. In the Javelin F46 category, Rajasthan's Sundar Singh Gujjar emerged victorious with a throw of 64.53 meters, narrowly surpassing Haryana's Rinku Hooda (63.98m) and Uttar Pradesh’s Ajeet Singh (63.25m).

On the track, Uttar Pradesh's Preeti Pal amazed the audience in the Women’s 100m (T35, T37 & T42) by clinching gold with an impressive time of 15 seconds. Following her was Gujarat's Bina Mordiay, clocking 17.20 seconds, and Haryana's Avani securing bronze at 20.40 seconds. In the Women’s 100m (T12 & T13) category, Simran from Uttar Pradesh showcased her exceptional form, finishing in 12.30 seconds to take gold, ahead of Odisha’s Janaki Oram (14.20 seconds) and Goa’s Sakshi Kale (14.90 seconds).

In the Men’s Shot Put (F56 & F57), the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) accomplished a clean sweep, with Hokato Sema winning 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 the field, finishing in 56.70 seconds for gold. Gujarat’s Damor Tejal Amaraji (58.70 seconds) and Haryana’s Bhuvi Agarwal (1:09.60) rounded out the podium.

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

Delhi’s Sujith sprinted to victory in the Men’s 100m (T13) with a time of 11.52 seconds, closely followed 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 secured the top position with 13.87 seconds, while Anubhav Choudhary from Uttar Pradesh (14.16 seconds) and Delhi’s Jatin Singh (14.21 seconds) earned silver and bronze, respectively.

Delhi’s Chirag outpaced his rivals in the Men’s 100m (T36), winning gold in 12.70 seconds, trailed by Madhya Pradesh’s Arpit Sharma (14.23 seconds) and Haryana’s Sahil (15.37 seconds). 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 took gold in the T46 & T47 sprint, finishing in 10.95 seconds. He was followed 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, with Odisha’s Kamalakanta Nayak securing silver and Delhi’s Abhishek Chamoli claiming bronze. In the Men’s Long Jump (T13), Delhi’s Sujith soared to 6.54 meters to take 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 closely followed—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 is crucial as it serves as the final selection trial for the Indian team heading to the prestigious New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships later this year.

The enthusiasm and excellence displayed at Kanteerava Stadium on Day 1 have laid a solid groundwork for what is anticipated to be a historic championship. As the Indian para athletics community looks forward to the upcoming World Championships in New Delhi, the performances today are a clear signal that the athletes are prepared to shine on the global stage.

The 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship ended on a high note, highlighting exceptional talent and determination from over 262 para-athletes representing states nationwide.