Claudiney Batista Dos Santos: Indian athletes continued to excel in the 2024 World Para-Athletics Championships with Bhagyashri Jadhav securing a silver medal in Women’s Shot Put F34, here on Monday. Bhagyashri, a TOP Scheme athlete, hurled the iron ball to 7.52 metres for the best throw in the final, thus taking the country’s tally to five — one gold, three silver, and one bronze medals with Deepthi Jeevanji smashing the world record in the women’s 400m T20 earlier in the day.
After hurdling the iron ball to 7.56 metres in the first turn, Bhagyashree threw three foul throws and then landed a throw of 6.82 metres and followed that up with an effort of 7.52. China’s Lijuan Zou won the gold medal with a best throw of 8.48 metres while Morocco’s Saida Amoudi took the bronze medal with a throw of 7.02 metres.
This is the third medal that India won on Monday. The 20-year-old Deepthi Jeevanji smashed the world record in the women’s 400m T20 and grabbed her first gold and also India’s first of the World Para-Athletics Championships. Deepthi clocked 55.07 seconds, breaking American Breanna Clark’s earlier world record of 55.12 seconds, which she had set during last year’s edition of the championships in Paris.
Ace para discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya secured a silver medal in the F56 category. Kathuniya achieved a remarkable throw of 41.80 metres, earning him second place behind Brazil’s Claudiney Batista Dos Santos, who took gold. The bronze medal went to Slovakia’s Dusan Lackzo.
On Sunday, Nishad Kumar set the ball rolling for India by clinching a silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T47 final with an impressive season-best mark of 1.99 metres.
Preethi Pal then added to the tally by winning a bronze medal in the Women’s 200m T35 category, bringing India’s tally to two medals after Day 3 of competitions.
