New Delhi, Oct 4 (NationPress) The focus was firmly on Praveen Kumar during the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships (WPAC) held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday evening. Praveen, who has earned accolades for the nation numerous times, delivered an impressive performance on this significant day.

India was just one gold medal away from achieving their highest gold medal count in WPAC history, previously set at 6 gold medals during the Kobe WPAC. Thus, Praveen was the center of attention.

He had the shortest run-up in the men’s high jump T64 category. Before his jump, he gestured for the enthusiastic audience to quiet down, allowing him to concentrate better. He was clearly on a mission. For the majority of the event, he performed exceptionally well. However, Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov soared to the gold with a personal best of 2.03 meters, while Jonathan Broom-Edwards from Great Britain secured the silver at 2.00 meters.

Praveen appeared disappointed after clinching bronze based on countback and expressed his regret, explaining the reasons for not meeting expectations. “I have won a bronze medal, but I will strive for a gold in the future. I suffered from a hip injury; there was pain in my hip that hindered my performance,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Ekta Bhyan’s silver in the women’s club throw F51 lifted the spirits of local fans. She achieved her season's best at 19.80 meters, but Zoia Ovsii from Ukraine, with a remarkable best of 24.03 meters, was beyond reach from her very first attempt, making gold seem unlikely for Ekta.

Ekta expressed her satisfaction with her results, especially considering Ovsii's exceptional performance. “Yes, I had a throw over 21 meters in the Asian Games and won gold at the World Championship [Kobe 2024]. However, I am content with my performance,” she remarked.

All attention now turns to Simran for the 200m T12 event on Sunday, as well as to Navdeep Singh, the gold medalist in javelin at the Paris Paralympics F41. Simran, who secured gold in the 100m on Saturday, finished first in her heat to advance to the semifinals.

Accompanied by her guide Umar Saifi, she achieved her season best of 25.03 seconds. “We are highly motivated, but we are not focused on our prior gold [in the 100m]; we are entirely concentrated on the upcoming event. We can’t predict anything; it’s a world championship. We just need to stay fit, hydrate, and prepare for the final tomorrow,” said Simran’s husband and coach, Gajendra Singh.

In another highlight for India on Saturday, Soman Rana secured a silver medal (originally awarded bronze but upgraded after a successful protest against Thiago Paulino Dos Santos’ throw of 14.82 meters) in the men’s shot put F57.

He registered a season-best throw of 14.69 meters. Three Indians participated, including Hokato Hotozhe Sema and Shubham Juyal. With Rana's silver, India surpassed their overall medal tally of 17 from Kobe, marking the New Delhi WPAC as their best performance to date.