Amidst Team India’s record medal haul at the World Para Athletics C’ships, here’s a look at the gold medal-winning superstars
Sandip Sargar, Shailesh Kumar, Rinku Hooda, Sumit Antil, Nishad Kumar and Simran Sharma
India hadn’t seen a sprinter beating the field to become a world 100m champion. But the World Para Athletics Championships (WPAC), which concluded here on Sunday as India’s best ever in terms of total medals won, changed that piece of history.
Shining the brightest among the six gold medals India won during the nine-day event at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium was Simran Sharma’s women’s 100m T12 gold medal. Although Simran couldn’t defend her 200m title and won a silver in that event, she and Preeti Pal were the only two Indian athletes to win multiple medals (two each).
The WPAC also highlighted how Neeraj Chopra becoming Olympic champion in 2021 has lifted the javelin throw event to new heights in the country. Of the six gold medals in this WPAC, three came in javelin events — headed by para legend Sumit Antil defending his title, while Sandip Sargar and Rinku Hooda became new world champions.
The two high-jumpers, Nishad Kumar and Shailesh Kumar, completed the gold hunt. But the number of gold medals won in the 2024 and 2025 editions remained the same at six, while the count of total medals won grew from 17 to 22.
Here’s a look at India’s six gold diggers:
Sandip Sargar
Men’s Javelin Throw F44
The man from Maharashtra wore the crown of a world champion for the first time with a throw of 62.82m, which is also his personal best. Having finished fifth in the 2024 edition of the WPAC, it was his first medal at a major world-level competition.
For someone who has in the past worked as a delivery boy to sustain and support his training needs, all his efforts on and off the field proved worth on the biggest day of his life as a professional athlete.
Shailesh Kumar
Men’s High Jump T63
Kumar had the Paris Paralympics champion Ezra Frech in his way but the belief of India’s Asian Para Games gold medallist proved to be the difference and the WPAC had a new champion in the event.
Kumar’s clearance of 1.91m proved a touch too high for Frech and the veteran Indian jumper Varun Bhati — both of whom had 1.85m as their best effort.
Kumar’s simplicity and modesty shone through his post-event comment. “Getting Indian food during a home competition helped me a lot because when we compete or train abroad, it’s difficult to get good Indian food,” he said.
Rinku Hooda
Men’s Javelin Throw F46
It was one of the most competitive fields in a final during WPAC 2025, but Hooda, who became India’s youngest Paralympian in Rio nine years ago, was determined to change the colour of his silver at the Paris WPAC in 2023.
At the end of the event, all throwers had either a PB (personal best) or SB (season best) written against their name. But the CR (championship record) mentioned against 26-year-old Hooda’s throw of 66.37m beat the fierce competition for gold.
“Today my family and close relatives and friends were all in the stands to support me. And I managed to change the colour of my medal,” said Hooda, who lost his left arm in a fan-blade accident as a youngster.
Sumit Antil
Men’s Javelin Throw F64
The para javelin legend was a runaway favourite and won gold in an expected dominant fashion, throwing the spear to a distance of 71.37m for a new championship record to complete a hat-trick of world titles.
Such was the overwhelming presence of India’s most successful para athlete that he could have won a gold with any of his legal throws, all of which were 65m or above, while his competitors struggled to touch the 50m distance.
Antil continues to simultaneously hold the title in Paralympics, WPAC and the Asian Para Games.
Nishad Kumar
Men’s High Jump T47
Nishad’s confidence soared with every leap he took to clear the bar. Starting from 1.94m, he came up with a clean jump on his first effort itself every time the height of the bar was increased, until he crossed 2.14m to win gold with a new Asian record.
Nishad, who lost his right hand as a child in a fodder-cutting machine, tried to clear 2.18m for a new world record but faltered on all three attempts. On his way to the top of the podium, he left behind the T47 world record holder and US legend Roderick Townsend, who is a four-time Paralympic champion and has five world championship gold medals.
Simran Sharma
Women’s 100m T12
Coached by her husband and army man, Gajendra Singh, Simran clocked her personal best of 11.95 secs to be crowned the women’s T12 100m champion. Running with Simran, who is visually impaired since birth, was her guide Umar Saifi. The runner and the sighted guide have a tether between fingers that keeps them attached while running.
The 25-year-old Simran had won a silver medal in the 100m event at the last Para Asian Games in Hangzhou. But she upped her game on home soil improving her personal best twice — first in the semifinal and then in the final — to win gold.
“I am feeling like the Indian Army today, like I have done something for my country,” said a proud Simran.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
