Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil reaffirmed his dominance by clinching the men’s javelin throw (F12 & F64) gold on day 1 of the 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship in Bengaluru on Friday.
Haryana’s Antil sent the spear to an outstanding 72.25m to be on the top step of the podium. Manjeet secured silver with a commendable effort of 54.56 m, while Pradeep Kumar of SSCB earned bronze with a 45.17m throw.
This edition of the championship holds critical importance as it serves as the final selection trial for the Indian contingent heading to the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships later this year.
In the F40 & F41 javelin category, Haryana’s golden streak continued with Paris Paralympics champion Navdeep Singh throwing 42.63m to secure top honours. Prince, also from Haryana, bagged the silver medal with a 31.90-meter effort, and Delhi’s Ritender completed the podium with a 30.85-m throw.
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In the javelin F46 category, Rajasthan’s Sundar Singh Gujjar emerged victorious with a throw of 64.53m, narrowly edging out Haryana’s Rinku Hooda (63.98m) and Uttar Pradesh’s Ajeet Singh (63.25m).
On the track, Uttar Pradesh’s Preethi Pal dazzled the crowd in the women’s 100m (T35, T37 & T42) by winning gold with an impressive 15-second sprint. She was followed by Gujarat’s Bina Mordiay, who clocked 17.20s, while Haryana’s Avani claimed bronze at 20.40s.
In the Women’s 100m (T12 & T13) category, Simran from Uttar Pradesh continued her fine form finishing in 12.30s to take the gold, ahead of Odisha’s Janaki Oram (14.20s) and Goa’s Sakshi Kale (14.90s).
In men’s shot put (F56 & F57), the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) executed a clean sweep, with Hokato Sema claiming gold with a throw of 14.88m, followed by Soman Rana (14.66 m) and Shubham Juyal (13.58m).
Telangana’s Deepthi Jeevanji dominated the women’s 400m (T11, T12, T13 & T20) event, clocking 56.70s to win gold. Gujarat’s Damor Tejal Amaraji (58.70 seconds) and Haryana’s Bhuvi Agarwal (1:09.60) completed the podium.
Tamil Nadu’s Muthuraja Karaiyalan secured the gold in men’s discus throw (F55 & F56), while Haryana’s Yogesh Kathuniya and Raman claimed silver and bronze respectively.
