New Delhi: Preeti Pal delivered an outstanding performance to secure her second gold medal at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, winning the women’s 200m event and capping a remarkable campaign for India.
The Paris Paralympic medallist stormed to victory in the T35 to T37 200m final with a time of 30.26 seconds. She produced a powerful start and maintained a strong pace throughout the race to comfortably claim the top spot. The triumph came just a day after she had already secured gold in the 100m event, completing a double gold achievement at the meet.
In the same race, Karina Machulskaia finished second with a time of 32.22 seconds to claim the silver medal. India’s Bina Shambhubha secured the bronze with a timing of 32.35 seconds.
The host nation produced a dominant overall performance at the competition, finishing far ahead of the field in the medal standings. India amassed a total of 208 medals, including 75 gold, 69 silver and 64 bronze, showcasing exceptional depth across multiple events. Russia secured the second position with 35 medals, while Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third with three medals.
Despite her victory, Preeti Pal expressed a desire to keep improving her performance. She noted that she narrowly missed the target timing she had set for herself during the Grand Prix. While satisfied with the overall result, she indicated that she is still aiming to achieve faster times in future competitions.
The athlete highlighted that her personal best stands at 30.03 seconds and revealed that she has already clocked 29.6 seconds during practice sessions. She acknowledged that maintaining speed toward the finish line remains an area she is actively working to improve.
India’s strong showing extended beyond track events. In the men’s shot put F57 category, Shubham Juyal claimed gold with a throw of 14.45 metres, while Bhagat Singh and Priyans Kumar completed an Indian clean sweep by taking silver and bronze respectively.
Further victories followed in the men’s 200m T37 to T44 and men’s 800m T53 to T54 events, underlining India’s growing strength and depth in para athletics.
