New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Unstoppable Catherine Debrunner became the first athlete to win three gold medals in the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday. Having already claimed the women’s 5000m T54 and 800m T53 crowns, she added the 1500m T54 title in a Championships Record time of 3:16.81.

The defending champion Zhou Zhaoqian (China) was relegated to second place for the second time after the 800m. The Chinese will be hoping to turn the tables on Debrunner in the 100m and 400m sprints over the next few days, but Debrunner, having won four gold medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, will want to go one better here.

There was intense drama in the men’s shot put F36 contest with Vladimir Sviridov (Neutral Para Athlete) uncorking a monstrous 17.01m effort on his final try to claim gold. On his previous visit to the circle, the Russian-born had managed 16.93 to take the lead from defending champion Yassine Guenichi (Tunisia), only to see the latter get his nose ahead with his last try.

Guenichi led the bunch of eight athletes after the first two rounds with throws of 16.57m and 16.74m. Still, after Sviridov shot ahead in the fifth round, the Tunisian produced a 16.93m throw on his sixth attempt to lead on countback and sense a maiden victory over the Russian-born two-time Paralympic Games champion.

In the end, after enduring a longish wait to pick up the iron ball, the 35-year-old Sviridov heaved it a long way. He waited with bated breath – and his hands locked behind his head – for the measurement to come in. He broke into a relieved celebration when it was announced that he had managed 17.01m. The Tunisian walked up to give Sviridov a bear hug in appreciation.

Guenichi, who won the World Championships in Sviridov’s absence in 2023 and 2024, was looking to loosen the Russian-born athlete’s grip in global competitions featuring them. He had tasted defeat in the 2019 World Championships as well as Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. But he was spontaneous in acknowledging Sviridov’s unrelenting spirit.

The results (finals):

Men

Long Jump T13: 1. Ivan Jose Cano Blanco (Spain) 7.11m; 2. Ryota Fukunaga (Japan) 7.04; 3. Vergard Dragsud Sverd (Norway) 6.88.

Shot Put F36: 1. Vladimir Sviridov (Neutral Para Athlete) 17.01m (New Championships Record. Old: 16.83, Yassine Guenichi, Tunisia, 2023); 2. Yassine Guenichi (Tunisia) 16.93; 3. Alan Kokoity (Neutral Para Athlete) 16.86.

Women

100m T37: 1. Wen Xiaoyan (China) 12.93 seconds; 2. Taylor Swanson (USA) 13.27; 3. Viktoriia Slanova (Neutral Para Athlete) 13.79.

1500m T54: 1. Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) 3:16.81 (New Championships Record. Old: 3:25.23, Tatanya McFadden, USA, 2017); 2. Zhou Zhaoqian (China) 3:17.41; 3. Melaine Woods (Great Britain) 3:19.75.

Discus Throw F11: 1. Xie Enhui (China) 39.51m; 2. Assunta Legnante (Italy) 37.90; 3. Oksana Debrovolskaja (Lithuania) 37.24.

Javelin Throw F54: 1. Elham Salehi (Iran) 17.06m; 2. Alondra Salazar (Mexico) 16.83; 3. Rebeca Citlaly Cortes (Mexico) 15.48.

Javelin Throw F56: 1. Diana Krumina (Latvia) 26.18m; 2. Raissa Rocha Machado (Brazil) 23.90 (New F56 class Championships Record. Old: 23.32, M Willing, Germany, 2002); 3. Zeinab Moradi Rashnou (Iran) 22.06; 6. Suchitra Parida (India) 18.29.

–IANS

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