India produced a commanding performance at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, finishing the competition with a remarkable medal tally as Preeti Pal stole the spotlight with a dominant sprint display on the final day.Double medallist at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, Preeti delivered another impressive performance by clinching gold in the women’s 200m (T35–T37). The 25-year-old from Meerut clocked 30.26 seconds to finish comfortably ahead of the field, adding the title to the 100m gold she had secured a day earlier.Russia’s Karina Machulskaia took the silver medal with a time of 32.22 seconds, while India’s Bina Shambhubha completed the podium with bronze after finishing in 32.35 seconds.India ended the meet with an extraordinary haul of 208 medals — 75 gold, 69 silver, and 64 bronze — in a campaign that underlined the country’s growing strength in para athletics, even though the field featured relatively limited international participation. Russia finished second overall with 35 medals (15 gold, 14 silver, 6 bronze), while Bosnia and Herzegovina placed third with three medals (one gold and two silver) among the eight competing teams.Reflecting on her performance after securing her second gold medal, Preeti admitted she narrowly missed the mark she had set for herself.“I narrowly missed the target I was aiming for at the Grand Prix 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 clinching her second gold here.She also revealed that her training performances suggest she is capable of running even faster times.“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 enjoyed success in the field events, sweeping all three medals in the men’s shot put F57 category. Shubham Juyal secured gold with a throw of 14.45 metres, while Bhagat Singh claimed silver with 13.29 metres and Priyans Kumar took bronze with 13.07 metres. Juyal’s performance marked a significant improvement from his throw of 13.72 metres at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships, highlighting the steady rise of para athletes from the Indian Army.In the men’s 200m T35 event, Vinay won gold with a time of 28.18 seconds, finishing ahead of Anubhav Choudhary, who took silver in 29.49 seconds. Hong Kong’s Chui Yiu Bao secured the bronze medal.India produced another clean sweep in the men’s 200m T37–T44 category. Rakeshbhai Bhatt won gold in 25.20 seconds, followed by Siddharth Manju Bellary with silver in 28.23 seconds and Ravikiran Asarelli with bronze in 31.50 seconds.The hosts also dominated the men’s 800m T53–T54 race. Manojkumar Sabapathi claimed gold with a timing of 1:57.41, while Manikandan Jothi took silver in 2:11.14 and Kamalakanta Nayak secured bronze in 2:20.83.
Simran hopeful she will not be stripped of Worlds medals
Meanwhile, Indian visually impaired para-sprinter Simran Sharma expressed hope that she will retain the medals she won at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships despite the suspension of her guide runner.Simran had won gold in the women’s 100m (T12) and silver in the 200m at the championships. However, her guide runner Umar Saifi was provisionally suspended after testing positive for drostanolone, a banned anabolic steroid, according to the list released by the National Anti-Doping Agency on October 9, 2025. The test was reportedly conducted during the Delhi State Open on September 7, 2025.Under International Paralympic Committee regulations, guide runners in T12 events are classified as “athlete support personnel”, which means a doping violation by the guide can potentially lead to the athlete’s results being disqualified.Simran, who is currently sidelined with an injury and therefore not competing at the ongoing Grand Prix, said she remains optimistic that her medals will not be taken away.“I am very hopeful that I will not lose my medals. I worked really hard for them. There are examples where athletes have not been stripped of their medals even when their guide tested positive for a banned substance,” Simran said on the sidelines of the Grand Prix.She has since moved on from Saifi’s suspension and is now working with a new guide runner as she prepares for the Asian Para Games scheduled to be held in Japan later this year.Asked when a final decision on her appeal might be made, Simran said the timeline remains unclear.“I don’t know yet, but I am continuing my preparations for the Asian Para Games. I did not compete in the inaugural Grand Prix of the season in Dubai last month, or in the ongoing competition here, as I want to keep my body injury-free for the Asian Para Games,” she said.
