New Delhi, October 2: India’s para-athletics star, Yogesh Kathuniya, in discus throw F56, has yet again won a silver medal at a major competition. The Haryana-born athlete won India’s sixth medal at the New Delhi World Para Athletics Championships 2025, on Tuesday, September 30th, with his best attempt of 42.34m.
On a rainy evening in New Delhi, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kathuniya had his family members in the stands to witness him play at the showpiece event. “I was much happier than that night in Paris”, said Kathuniya in an exclusive chat with RevSportz. “Not only my family members, but also people from my village came to see me play. I gave my heart out and enjoyed every moment.”
This was his eighth medal at an international event, including two Paralympic silvers, four World Championships silvers and a bronze, and another silver at the Asian Para Games. Notably, Kathuniya’s illustrious career started from this very ground, the JLN Stadium, New Delhi, at the junior level.
“Playing at the JLN Stadium was special. My journey started from this ground and I have so many fond memories”, he said. “Before this, I had seven international medals, but this was special, and I felt really happy to be able to play here once again.”
Speaking of the stadium and the organising committee, Kathuniya expressed his approval of the entire event. “Yes, I have participated in various events around the globe and can say that this event is being conducted to meet every standard.”
“Everything has been on time, and there are no complaints. The stadium is highly accessible – you can see ramps in the stadium, in buses, and there are an ample number of elevators”, he added. “Atithi devo-vava has been truly maintained here.”
During an earlier interaction, Kathuniya mentioned that, over time, he has developed a philosophy of focusing on the process rather than the results.
He said that his spiritual side has helped him a lot in focusing on the sport and maintaining a perfect balance in life. “I listen to Gita shlokas before going to bed, and it helps me ease.”
“I believe that we have to enjoy what we do. For us, we need to focus on enjoying the game and follow the process”, said Kathuniya. “I followed the same here as well; I had the aggression and followed the process and enjoyed the game.”
“This is important because if by chance you don’t end up winning a medal, it might affect you badly if you are obsessed with the results”, he continued.
A fun-loving personality, Kathuniya had a smile on his face, as always, and laughed while answering, “I will party hard today and celebrate this medal, take a good off-season, a ten-twelve days break and then start practicing again.”
This was Kathuniya’s first major event post the Paris Paralympics, and yet again, he ended with a silver medal. Also, it was Brazil’s Claudiney Batista once again who topped the podium, as was the case in the Tokyo 2020 Games, Paris 2024 Games, and the previous two World Championships. “Yes, we have shared the podium for a long time, and it has been a great competition”, he said. “For now, I’ll focus on the upcoming Asian Para Games next year, and will see how it goes in the 2027 World Championships”.
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