Sumit Antil at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a dominant day at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, led by Paralympic champion Sumit Antil as he won gold in the men’s javelin (F43/F44/F64). The two-time Paralympic gold medalist produced a powerful throw of 69.25 meters to secure first place. Other Indians Pushpendra Singh and Poonam Ram completed the podium with silver and bronze respectively.Antil admitted that his winning throw was better than he expected. “We have several tournaments lined up this time. I will try to perform well in the upcoming competitions. It’s an off-season loading phase for me. I didn’t expect such a throw; I was expecting around 67-68m, but today the throw was good at 69.25m. So I’m happy and my team is also happy,” he said.The 27-year-old from Sonipat, Haryana added that his focus is on incremental improvement rather than a change in technique. “I don’t change my technique because we know that we are going in the right direction in training. Right now we need the right conditions for the throw to fit perfectly. That’s why I participate in tournaments to find those conditions somewhere,” he added.Looking ahead, Antil has already set a major goal for the season. “I’m aiming for the Asian Games and the target is 75m. I haven’t achieved that in practice yet and no athlete has yet, but I’m working on all possible improvements in technique or strength to reach that limit.”India’s success was not limited to the javelin as several athletes produced medal-winning performances across the track and field events. The country has dominated many races and throwing events, including the 400m, shot put, long jump, discus and javelin, with Indian athletes often sweeping the podium.Overall, it was another impressive outing for the Indian para-athletics contingent, which showed strong depth and momentum ahead of the upcoming internationals.
