Bengaluru, May 26 (IANS) The opening day of the 8th Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships 2026 produced several outstanding performances as para athletes from across India and overseas delivered thrilling contests across track and field events in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

One of the standout performances came in the Men’s 100m T12 category, where Maharashtra’s Chaitanya Pathak clinched the gold medal after clocking 11.39 seconds in a closely contested race. Haryana’s Vishu Vishu finished just behind with a timing of 11.42 seconds to take silver, while Andhra Pradesh’s Gowtham Karanam secured bronze in 11.75 seconds.

In the Men’s 100m T47 event, Kerala sprinter Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath impressed with a winning time of 10.63 seconds. Maharashtra’s Dilip Gavit pushed him till the finish line and settled for silver after clocking 10.64 seconds, while Karnataka’s Babu Janu Pandaramise claimed bronze in 11.19 seconds.

Punjab’s Vivek Sharma emerged victorious in the Men’s 100m T63 category with a timing of 12.92 seconds. Haryana’s Arpit secured silver in 13.00 seconds, while Uttar Pradesh’s Sandeep Kumar took bronze with 13.40 seconds.

Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar starred in the Men’s Long Jump T47 event with a superb leap of 7.34m to claim gold for Himachal Pradesh. Rajasthan’s Arjun Singh finished second with a jump of 6.81m, while Sri Lanka’s Safran Mohammadu earned bronze after clearing 6.72m.

The Men’s Discus Throw F64 competition witnessed one of the closest contests of the day. Pardeep Kumar of S.S.C.B. won gold with a best throw of 50.47m, narrowly edging Haryana’s Devender Kumar, who finished with 50.44m for silver. S.S.C.B.’s Rakesh secured bronze with a throw of 49.67m.

In the Women’s Shot Put F57 category, Haryana’s Sharmila delivered a strong performance to win gold with a throw of 9.86m. Karnataka’s Kanchugarakoppa Shyla Shilpa bagged silver with 6.67m, while Haryana’s Poonam Sharma claimed bronze with 6.46m.

Karnataka athlete Rakshitha Raju dominated the Women’s 1500m T11 race, winning gold with a time of 5:17.54. Rajasthan’s Shalini Chaudhary secured silver in 6:07.55, while Kyrgyzstan’s Gulnaz Zhuzbaeva took bronze after finishing in 6:19.58.

The championships will continue until May 28, with leading para athletes from India and several other countries competing across multiple disciplines.

–IANS

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