India’s Preeti Pal (PTI Photo/Salman Ali) 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 show with a dominant sprint display on the final day.Two-time medalist at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, Preeti produced another impressive performance as she claimed 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 clocking 32.35 seconds.India ended the meet with a remarkable 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 had 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 that she narrowly missed the mark she had set for herself.“I narrowly missed the target I was aiming for in the Grand Prix by a microsecond. Overall, it’s going well. I’m aiming for the Nationals in four days and since it’s the off-season, I’m happy with my performance,” said Preeti after securing her second gold here.She also revealed that her training performances suggest that she is capable of running even faster times.“My personal best is 30.03 seconds and I’ve already clocked 29.6 seconds in training, which is encouraging. However, I’ve noticed that I’m tired as I approach the finish line, which didn’t happen before. I’m currently working on improving that,” she added.India also celebrated success in the field events, sweeping all three medals in the men’s F57 shot put category. Shubham Juyal clinched the gold with a throw of 14.45 metres, while Bhagat Singh bagged the silver with 13.29 meters and Priyans Kumar took the bronze with 13.07 metres. Juyal’s performance marked a marked improvement on his throw of 13.72 meters at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships, underscoring the continued rise of Indian Army para athletes.In the men’s 200m T35, Vinay won the gold with a time of 28.18 seconds, finishing ahead of Anubhav Choudhary who took the 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 home team also dominated the men’s 800 m T53–T54 race. Manojkumar Sabapathi clinched the gold with a time of 1:57.41, while Manikandan Jothi took the silver in 2:11.14 and Kamalakanta Nayak secured the bronze in 2:20.83.
Simran hopes that her world medals will not be taken away from her
Meanwhile, India’s visually impaired para-sprinter Simran Sharma has expressed hope of retaining the medals she won at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships despite the suspension of her lead runner.Simran won gold in women’s 100m (T12) and silver in 200m at the championship. However, its guide runner Umar Saifi was provisionally suspended after he tested positive for drostanolone, a banned anabolic steroid, according to a list issued by the National Anti-Doping Agency on 9 October 2025. The test was reportedly conducted during the Delhi State Open on 7 September 2025.According to International Paralympic Committee regulations, guides at T12 events are classified as “athlete support personnel”, meaning that a doping violation by a guide can potentially lead to disqualification of the athlete’s results.Simran, who is currently sidelined with an injury and is therefore not competing in the ongoing Grand Prix, said she remains optimistic that her medals will not be taken away.“I am very hopeful that I won’t lose my medals. I have worked really hard for them. There are instances where athletes have not been stripped of their medals even though their guide has 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 as she prepares for the Asian Para Games in Japan later this year.Asked when a final decision on her recall might be made, Simran said the timeline remains unclear.“I don’t know yet, but I’m continuing my preparations for the Asian Para Games. I didn’t participate in the opening Grand Prix of the season in Dubai last month or the ongoing competition because I want my body not to get injured for the Asian Para Games,” she said.
