New Delhi, Sep 30: Denis Gnezdilov stood inside the shot put circle at the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships with more than just a 4kg metal sphere in his hand.
The Russian athlete carried with him the memory of heartbreak from the Paris Paralympics, the burden of missed chances, and a burning desire to prove that setbacks can be the foundation for greatness.
Just over a year ago, Gnezdilov had endured one of the lowest points of his decorated career. A Paralympic gold medallist at Tokyo 2020, he missed the podium entirely in Paris, a defeat that cut deep. For an athlete of his caliber, used to being among the best, the disappointment stung. Yet rather than letting failure define him, Gnezdilov used it as fuel. "In Paris, I made
mistakes. I learned from them, corrected them, and now we move forward," he said after his golden performance in Delhi.
The transformation was evident from his very first attempt. He began with a safe 10.66m, but his rhythm improved with each round. By the third, he unleashed a mammoth 11.85m throw, shattering the world record previously held by Paralympic champion Miguel Monteiro. And just when the crowd thought he had peaked, Gnezdilov delivered again in his final attempt with an astonishing 11.92m, ensuring every throw after his opener was good enough for gold.
What made this comeback even more remarkable was the technical reinvention behind it. In Paris, Gnezdilov had stuck to the traditional stride technique, a method that lacked the explosiveness he needed. In Delhi, he debuted a complete switch to the rotational style-a far more complex yet powerful technique. "I corrected it completely. In Paris, I used the stride. Now, I've changed to the rotation," he explained. The adjustment paid off in spectacular fashion.
At 38, the Rustavi-born athlete proved that age is no barrier to growth, resilience, or reinvention. With two world records in a single competition and a third World Championship crown, Gnezdilov reasserted his dominance as the undisputed leader of men's shot put. More than medals and records, however, his Delhi triumph told a deeper story-a story of refusing to let failure be the last word, of daring to change, and of turning pain into power.
In Delhi, Denis Gnezdilov did not just reclaim his supremacy. He rewrote the narrative of resilience in sport-showing the world that true champions rise higher after every fall.
