Saudi Arabia’s Naif Almasrahi stormed to victory with a new World Record in the men’s 100m T44 final at the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday. He clocked 10.94 seconds, on a morning when India’s F56 discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya added a silver to the host nation’s tally.
There were three other Championships Records set: David Dzhatiev (Neutral Para Athlete) in the men’s 200m T35, David Jose Pineda Mejia (Spain) in the men’s 400m T20, and Yassine Gharbi (Tunisia) in the men’s 400m T54. Yet, the home crowd’s loudest cheers were reserved for Yogesh Kathuniya, who was chasing his maiden global gold but had to settle for silver.
The 28-year-old Indian’s best effort of 42.49m was bettered on all six attempts by Brazilian ace Claudiney Batista, who won gold. This was Kathuniya’s third successive World Championships silver, adding to his two Paralympic silver medals.
“It is a different feeling since I won silver on home ground,” Kathuniya said. “Everyone was watching, my family was here too. There was a lot of pressure in Paris [2024 Paralympics], but here the cheering gave me energy. I wasn’t worried about the talk of gold; I focused on the process.”
Coach Lakhwinder Singh called the medal a result of planning and execution, though short of expectations. “The distance was less than his personal best. We were aiming for 44–45m,” he said.
World record-setter Naif Almasrahi admitted his run exceeded his own expectations. “I wasn’t prepared for this time. I thought I’d get around 11 seconds, but my competitor was running so fast that I had to run faster. It’s hot here, but it’s similar to Saudi Arabia. And the track is one of the best I’ve run on.”
In the men’s 400m T54 final, Tunisia’s Yassine Gharbi capped an emotional comeback with gold, returning to the podium after six years. The Paris 2024 Paralympics gold medalist Dai Yungqiang (China) and silver medalist Athiwat Paeng-Nuea (Thailand) were among his challengers. Athiwat, who set a Championships Record of 45.01 in the heats, led at halfway, but Gharbi produced a powerful finish to win. It marked a remarkable return after missing a Paralympics and two World Championships following a doping ban in 2020.
Neutral Para Athlete David Dzhatiev defended his title in the men’s 200m T35, clocking 23.01s for a new Championships Record. He held off world record holder Dmitrii Safronov and Paralympic champion Ihor Tsvietov.
Meanwhile, the tussle at the top of the medal table between Brazil and China continued. Brazil’s discus gold pushed them ahead with 5 gold, 10 silver, 2 bronze, while China stood at 4 gold, 7 silver, 4 bronze. India, with 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze, occupied seventh spot.
Results (Finals):
Men
100m T44: 1. Naif Almasrahi (Saudi Arabia) 10.94s WR (old: 11.00, Mpumelelo Mhlongo, South Africa, 2019); 2. Matheus de Lima (Brazil) 10.99; 3. Marco Cicchetti (Italy) 11.46.
200m T35: 1. David Dzhatiev (Neutral) 23.01s CR (old: 23.04, Ihor Tsvietov, Ukraine, 2019); 2. Dmitrii Safronov (Neutral) 23.13; 3. Ihor Tsvietov (Ukraine) 23.64.
400m T20: 1. David Jose Pineda Mejia (Spain) 47.12s CR (old: 47.45, Pineda Mejia, 2025); 2. Daniel Tavares Martins (Brazil) 47.50; 3. Idris Sufyani (Saudi Arabia) 47.55.
400m T54: 1. Yassine Gharbi (Tunisia) 44.96s CR (old: 45.01, Athiwat Paeng-Nuea, Thailand, 2025); 2. Athiwat Paeng-Nuea (Thailand) 45.29; 3. Dai Yunqiang (China) 45.44.
1500m T13: 1. Joel Gomez (USA) 3:57.71; 2. Aleksandr Kostin (Neutral) 3:57.80; 3. Jaryd Clifford (Australia) 3:58.87.
Long Jump T12: 1. Fernando Vazquez (Argentina) 7.01m; 2. Iher Sauchuk (Neutral) 6.89; 3. Andreas Walser (Germany) 6.81.
Shot Put F41: 1. Niko Kappel (Germany) 13.34m; 2. Bobirjon Omonov (Uzbekistan) 12.36; 3. Aiaal Sivtsev (Neutral) 11.98.
Discus Throw F56: 1. Claudiney Batista (Brazil) 45.67m; 2. Yogesh Kathuniya (India) 42.49; 3. Konstantinos Tzounis (Greece) 39.97.
Women
Shot Put F54: 1. Gloria Zarca (Mexico) 7.97m; 2. Elizabeth Rodrigues Gomes (Brazil) 7.78; 3. Elham Salehi (Iran) 7.17; 6. Keerthika Jayachandran (India) 6.25.
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