Sumit Antil Strikes Gold Again! India Dominates At World Para Athletics Grand Prix

Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 21:08 IST

Double Paralympic champion Sumit Antil led India's medal surge at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix with a 69.25m javelin throw.

Double Paralympic champion Sumit Antil once again proved why he remains the benchmark in para javelin, leading India’s medal surge with a commanding victory at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix on Thursday.

The highlight of the day came in the men’s javelin throw (F43/F44/F64) event, where Antil produced a powerful throw of 69.25 metres to comfortably secure gold.

The 27-year-old, who won back-to-back Paralympic titles at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Paris 2024 Paralympics, led an Indian clean sweep of the podium. Pushpendra Singh clinched silver with 56.91m, while Poonam Ram took bronze with a throw of 49.48m.

Interestingly, even Antil admitted the distance exceeded his expectations.

“This time, we have multiple tournaments lined up. I will try to perform well in the upcoming competitions," Antil said.

“It is an off-season loading phase for me. I was not expecting such a throw; I expected around 67–68m, but the throw was good today at 69.25m. So I am happy, and my team is happy as well."

The Sonipat-born athlete added that he has no plans to alter his technique for now.

“I am not changing my technique because we know we are moving in the right direction in our training. Right now, we just need the right conditions where the throw falls perfectly in place."

India Dominate Track and Field Events

Indian athletes continued their impressive run across several events.

In the men’s 400m T13, Subodh Bhatt won gold in 51.88 seconds, finishing ahead of Priyanshu Kaushik (53.19s) and Avnil Kumar (56.91s).

The men’s 400m T46/T47 saw another Indian triumph as Bhavikkumar Din Bharwad secured gold in 49.89 seconds, narrowly ahead of compatriot Jasbeer, who took silver in 50.09 seconds. Ivan Cvetkovic finished third.

India also swept the podium in the wheelchair 400m T53/T54 event, with Manojkumar Sabapathi winning gold in 54.33 seconds, followed by Anil Kumar (57.57s) and Manikandan Jothi (1:01.94).

Strong Showing in Women’s Events

The women’s competitions also delivered medals for India.

In the women’s 400m T11/T12, Tejalben Amraji Damor secured gold with a time of 57.53 seconds, while Lalitha Killaka won silver and Shalini Chaudhary claimed bronze — another Indian podium sweep.

Meanwhile, Lakshmi struck gold in the women’s shot put F36/F37/F40 with a throw of 7.76 metres, with Akutai Sitaram Ulbhagat taking silver and Chimi Dema finishing third.

Antil Targets 75m Next

Despite his latest triumph, Antil already has his sights set on bigger goals.

“I am targeting the Asian Para Games in Japan, and the goal is 75m," he said.

“I haven’t achieved it yet in practice, and no athlete has done it yet, but I am working on whatever improvements are possible in technique or strength to reach that mark."

If Thursday’s performance is anything to go by, that milestone may not be too far away.

(with PTI inputs)

News sports other-sports Sumit Antil Strikes Gold Again! India Dominates At World Para Athletics Grand Prix

Read More