Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 4: India recorded its best day so far at the World Para Athletics Championships on Friday, bagging four medals including two gold, to leap three spots up to fourth place in the overall tally.

High jumper Nishad Kumar clinched his maiden world gold in the men’s T47 event with an Asian record leap of 2.14m, coinciding with his 26th birthday. For the first time, he outperformed American legend Roderick Townsend, a five-time world champion and three-time Paralympic gold medallist.

Delhi sprinter Simran Sharma, running with her guide Umar Saifi, clocked a personal best of 11.95 seconds to win gold in the women’s 100m T12. Born visually impaired, the 25-year-old said, “It’s fun to run for my country. I always wanted to do something for India.”

Adding to the tally, Preethi Pal bagged bronze in the women’s 200m T35 with a season’s best of 30.03 seconds, while Pardeep Kumar earned bronze in the men’s discus throw F64 with a 46.23m effort.

With this, India’s medal count rose to six gold, five silver and four bronze. The hosts are now on course to better their previous best of 17 medals at the Kobe 2024 championships. Brazil leads the table, followed by China and Poland.