World Para Athletics C'ships: Simran wins India's second track gold

Indian para-athletes had a very good outing on the final day of their best-ever World Para-Athletics Championships, adding three more medals to the medal tally, including a gold medal from Simran in the women's 200m T12 category in Kobe, Japan.

Simran clocked her personal best time of 24.95 seconds in the final to become the world champion and also secured a quota for her second consecutive Paralympics. This win is especially meaningful for Simran, particularly after her disqualification in the 100m event.

She also participated in the women's 100m event but unfortunately was disqualified despite winning her heat. However, she bounced back admirably in the 200m event, breaking her personal best to secure India's sixth gold medal at this event.

Earlier, she won her semi-final heat with a time of 25.12 seconds to qualify for the final. Simran also improved upon her performance at the Asian Para Games last year, where she narrowly missed out on the gold medal to Iran's Safarzadeh Ghahderjiani.

The T12 category is designated for runners with visual impairments, with their vision limited to a radius of less than five degrees. Consequently, they are permitted to have guides alongside them during races to assist with direction management.

On the other hand, Navdeep contributed another medal to India's best-ever campaign with his bronze medal in the men's javelin throw F41 category, achieving a season-best throw of 42.82m on his fifth attempt in the final. Meanwhile, Prince Kumar finished in 10th place with a throw of 27.86m in the same category.

Double for Preethi Pal

Preethi Pal made history by becoming the first Indian player to win more than one medal at a single World Para-Athletics Championships edition, adding another medal to her tally with a bronze in the women's 100m T35 category, achieving a new personal best of 14.43 seconds.

Earlier, she secured the bronze medal in the women's 200m T35 category at these championships. Preethi also earned her debut Paralympics quota for Paris 2024, marking a significant milestone in her career and setting her sights on her first-ever medal at this prestigious event.

India concluded their campaign with their best-ever medal tally at the World Para Athletics Championships, claiming a total of 17 medals, including six golds, five silvers, and six bronzes.

The Indian contingent also made history by finishing in the top 10 of the overall medal tally of these championships for the first time, securing the 6th position.