“Jitni badi competition hoti hai, mujhe utna maza aata hai.” (The more the competition, the more I enjoy it)
– Simran Sharma
The World Para Athletic Championships concluded on 5th October 2025, with hosts India bagging the best-ever tally at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, a good 22 medals — six gold, nine silver, seven bronze.
India had won 17 medals in all at the 2024 competition in Kobe, Japan, including six gold, five silver, and six bronze. There were 54 men and 19 women among the 73 Indian para-athletes in the contingent. At the World Para Athletics Championships 2025, Shailesh Kumar won the men’s high jump T63 class title with an Asian record on the first day, soaring to India’s first gold medal. Deepthi Jeevanji won the silver medal in the women’s 400-meter T20 class later that same day.
The medals are not just medals, they come at a cost…a cost that can never be paid in money. Behind every medal is a story… a story of unwavering determination and passion. For these athletes, it is not just their different abilities that they have to battle with, but also social stigma that comes with it.
This Championship, along with the usual prodigies, many new faces emerged with their stories of resilience. Para-athlete Ekta Bhyan has a motivational tale to share. Ekta is a highly successful para-athlete who competes in the Club Throw and Discus after being in a car accident that left her upper limbs partially paralysed and her lower limbs entirely paralysed. Ekta, who has won six international medals, is now scheduled to speak about the value of equality, diversity, and inclusion as well as how parasports empower people. Despite her hardships, Ekta went on to earn a master’s degree in English from Kurukshetra University and work as a government civil servant. She has developed into a gifted para-athlete who participates in the Club Throw and Discus competitions. As the first female quadriplegic to compete for India at the highest international level, Ekta has garnered attention after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games.
A silver medal that came in Men’s Discuss Throw F56 event was by Yogesh Kathuniya. Yogesh was born on March 3, 1997, and at the age of nine, he had a rare neurological ailment known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes quadriparesis. The small boy was restricted to a wheelchair. Yogesh’s mother, Meena Devi, was determined to help her child stand and walk independently. She learnt physiotherapy to help her son, and her tireless efforts resulted in Yogesh walking again within three years. Yogesh has made a reputation for himself through his amazing efforts and tenacity. He received the Arjuna Award, 2021, in recognition of his excellent achievements in Para Athletics.
There are many more such stories of perseverance and sustaining through the social pressure and stigma. Battling with their disabilities these athletes also face a lot of stigma for their very own people. However, their unwavering spirit trumps it all, no matter which challenges life throws at them the only drill they know is to get back up and face it. This year, India scripted history by securing its best ever medal tally on a global stage. With such Grit and Resilience the only is up and upwards.