World Para Athletics Championships: Sumit Antil defends his gold in javelin, Mariyappan Thangavelu bags gold in high jump

Para jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu secured the top podium finish in the men's high jump (T63 category) at the ongoing Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championship on Tuesday (May 21).

Adding another gold to India's tally, Mariyappan, who was the Rio Paralympic champion, achieved this feat with a season-best jump of 1.88 meters. Mariyappan put up a strong show in today's high jump event, as he outdid the American duo of Ezra Frech and Sam Grewe to claim the world title.

In another remarkable achievement, para-javelin athlete Sumit Antil successfully defended his gold medal.

Sumit Antil, the Tokyo Paralympic gold medalist and reigning world champion, clinched the gold in Men's Javelin F64 with a best throw of 69.50 meters. His first throw was equally impressive at 68.17 meters.

This victory adds to his impressive track record, where he previously set a world record of 70.83 meters in the last edition of the World Championships.

Joining Antil on the podium, India's Sandeep Chaudhary secured the bronze medal with a throw of 60.41 meters. Chaudhary's performance not only earned him a spot on the podium but also secured a quota for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

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India has secured a total of 9 medals so far at the World Para Athletics Championships

India's triumphant day at the World Para Athletics Championships culminated in a total of five medals secured by the Indian contingent. Earlier in the day, Ekta Bhyan and Kashish Lakra set the stage for success by clinching a gold and silver medal, respectively.

The addition of Mariyappan, Sumit Antil and Sandeep Chaudhary's medals later in the day further solidified India's dominance on the global para-athletics stage.

With the addition of today's medals, India's medal tally at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships has swelled to nine, comprising four gold, four silver and three bronze medals.