New Delhi, September 29: Great Britain's Sabrina Fortune and India's Rinku Hooda lit up the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships with record-breaking performances that sent the Jawaharlal
Nehru Stadium into raptures.
Fortune, competing in the women's Shot Put F20, claimed her fourth world title in style by setting a new world record of 16.75m, surpassing her own previous best. Her very first throw sealed the deal, while each subsequent effort underscored her dominance.
"I just wasn't expecting that today. It's so, so hot. So many things have gone wrong in the last week. It makes me so happy-I can't put it into words," she said with a beaming smile.
While Fortune carved history, the night belonged equally to India's Rinku Hooda, who stunned the field in the men's Javelin Throw F46. Facing off against compatriot Sundar Singh Gurjar and former champions, Hooda opened strong with 63.81m and then reclaimed the record with a massive 66.37m effort on his fifth attempt, sealing gold and a new Championships Record. Gurjar took silver with 64.76m, while Cuba's Guillermo Varona Gonzalez clinched bronze.
For Indian fans, Hooda's triumph was an emotional moment. In defeating the past three world champions-including his own teammate-he underlined his mental strength and consistency.
Elsewhere, Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner added another feather to her cap by smashing the 800m T53 Championships Record with a timing of 1:40.16, while Thailand's Chaiwat Rattana followed up his world record in the heats to bag gold in the men's 400m T34. The Netherlands' Joel De Jong leapt to a new Long Jump T63 record, and China's Zou Lijuan extended her dominance in the Javelin Throw F34, leading a 1-2 finish for her nation.
China reclaimed the top of the medal table with a 1-2 finish in the women's Javelin Throw F34, while India's medal tally rose with Hooda and Gurjar's heroics, bringing them to sixth place.
Day 3 Results
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 400m T34 | Chaiwat Rattana (Thailand) - 48.01 | Rheed McCracken (Australia) - 48.67 | Austin Smeenk (Canada) - 49.43 | World Record in heats (47.94) |
| Men's 400m T53 | Pongsakorn Paeyo (Thailand) - 46.81 | Yoo Byunghoon (South Korea) - 49.29 | Vitali Gritsenko (NPA) - 49.37 | - |
| Men's Long Jump T63 | Joel De Jong (Netherlands) - 7.57 | Leon Schaefer (Germany) - 7.45 | Daniel Wagner (Denmark) - 7.20 | New Championships Record |
| Men's Javelin Throw F46 | Rinku Hooda (India) - 66.37 | Sundar Singh Gurjar (India) - 64.76 | Guillermo Varona (Cuba) - 63.34 | New Championships Record |
| Women's 100m T38 | Angie Nicoll Mejia Morales (Colombia) - 12.34 | Karen Tatiana Palomeque (Colombia) - 12.36 | Lida Maria Manthopolou (Greece) - 12.72 | New Championships Record |
| Women's 800m T53 | Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) - 1:40.16 | Zhou Hongzhuan (China) - 1:47.71 | Hamide Dogangun (Turkiye) - 1:47.99 | New Championships Record |
| Women's Shot Put F20 | Sabrina Fortune (Great Britain) - 16.75 | Ebrar Keskin (Turkiye) - 13.80 | Aleksandra Zaitseva (NPA) - 13.74 | New World Record |
| Women's Javelin Throw F34 | Zou Lijuan (China) - 21.41 | Zao Caiyun (China) - 20.58 | Dayna Crees (Australia) - 18.97 | New Championships Record |
