Tamil Nadu secured second place and Uttar Pradesh finished third in the action-packed 23rd National Paralympics Athletics Championship.

Haryana has emerged as the overall champion of the 23rd National Paralympic Athletics Championship, securing an impressive tally of 49 gold, 32 silver, and 25 bronze medals. Tamil Nadu, the host state, finished second with 17 gold, 18 silver, and 12 bronze, while Uttar Pradesh claimed the third position with 14 gold, 17 silver, and 11 bronze medals.

Rajasthan finished fourth with 13 gold, 22 silver and 26 bronze while Maharashtra finished fifth with 11 gold 3 silver and 13 bronze. The championship witnessed exceptional performances by para-athletes from across the country.

The Opening

The event commenced at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, marking a historic first for the city. It drew 1,476 para-athletes across India, competing in 155 events under 30 teams.

On the opening day of the Championship, Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) President Devendra Jhajharia said, “We are confident that this championship in Chennai will set new benchmarks for para-athletic competitions in India. With world-class facilities and a commitment to inclusivity, we are witnessing a new era for Indian para-athletics.”

The Medal Winners

Paris Paralympics bronze medallist and reigning world champion Deepthi Jeevanji dominated the Women’s 400m T20 category, clinching gold with an impressive time of 57.85 seconds. Pooja from Haryana secured silver at 1:08.21s, while Bhuvi Agrawal, also from Haryana, took home bronze with 1:09.24s.

The 400m races also saw intense competition, with Haryana’s Madan winning gold in the Men’s T11 category at 57.16s while Chirag Tyagi from Uttar Pradesh took the top spot in the T12 category with 50.89s. Haryana continued its dominance as Ashish secured gold in the T13 event with a time of 54.35s.

Ravi Kumar Meena from Rajasthan sprinted to victory in the Men’s T20 400m final with 56.47s, while Sahil from Haryana clocked 1:08.44s to secure gold in the T36 category. Uttar Pradesh’s Dharmender Kumar took the top honours in the T44/T62/T64 category with a timing of 54.32s.

In the Men’s F57 Shot Put event, national record holder Soman Rana delivered a stunning performance, defeating Paris Paralympics gold medallist Hokato Sema. Rana secured the gold with a throw of 14.42m, while Sema claimed silver with 13.53m. Shubhan Juyal from SSCB bagged the bronze with a throw of 13.39m.

In the Men’s F37 Shot Put events, Haryana’s Manu took gold in the category with a throw of 12.17m, while Ravi Rongali from Andhra Pradesh dominated the F40 event with a 10.03m throw. Tamil Nadu’s Manoj Singaraja led the F41 category with 8.94m.

Other standout performances included Vikas from Haryana, who claimed gold in the Men’s Long Jump T45/T46/T47 finals with a leap of 6.75m, narrowly edging out Tamil Nadu’s Shiek Abdul Kad, who secured silver with 6.69m. Nishad Kumar from Himachal Pradesh finished third with 6.49m. Kumar won gold in the Men’s High Jump T45/46/47 category.

The competition has also seen the continued excellence of Paralympic champions. Paris Olympics gold medal-winning javelin thrower Navdeep Singh dominated the Javelin F41 event. Praveen Kumar, Paris Paralympics gold medallist, reaffirmed his supremacy in the T64 event with a commanding victory.

The Closing

On the final day of the competition, the Discus Throw events saw strong competition, with Pradeep Kumar from SSCB clinching gold in the F62/F64 category with a throw of 44.00m. Rakesh, also from SSCB, dominated the F42/F43/F44 category with a winning distance of 49.52m.

The Men’s Discus Throw F37 event saw an intense contest, with Haryana’s Bhavishay taking the gold with a throw of 44.27m, followed closely by his state mate Haney, who secured silver with 44.13m. Ankit, also from Haryana, finished with bronze.

Dharambir, another standout performer from Haryana, took gold in the Men’s Discus Throw F51 event with a best attempt of 10.91m, while Uttar Pradesh’s Ram Ratan Singh and Tamil Nadu’s Alexander Mani settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

In the women’s events, Priyanka Sharma of Delhi sprinted to victory in the 200m T35/T36/T37 final, finishing in 38.11 seconds. Karnataka’s Harshita Tater and Chandigarh’s Babanpreet Kaur secured silver and bronze, respectively.

Haryana’s Ekta Bhyan, the reigning world champion, continued her dominance in the Club Throw F32/F51 event, winning gold with a distance of 20.14m. Rajasthan’s Durga Gahlot claimed silver, while Geeta Rani of Haryana secured bronze.

The endurance events also brought thrilling moments, particularly in the Men’s 5000m races at the 23rd National Paralympics Athletics Championship. Rajasthan’s Rajesh Yadav triumphed in the T13 category, clocking 16:26.75s, while Karnataka’s Sharath M.S. took gold in the T12 category with a time of 15:50.49s.

Athletes from West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi also put up strong performances in the long-distance events.

The closing ceremony was graced by Lt Gen. Karanbir Singh Brar as the chief guest. Several prominent dignitaries from the PCI were also in attendance, including Shri Chandrasekhar (Vice President, PCI), Shri Sathya Narayanan (Chief Coach, PCI), Shri Sathya Parkash Sangwan (Vice President, PCI), Shri Jayawant Gundu Hamanawar (Secretary General, PCI), and Shri Sunil Pradhan (Treasurer, PCI).