Nishad, Preethi win medals as Indians shine in Para Athletics World Championship in Kobe

Kobe (Japan), May 20 (IANS) Nishad Kumar won a silver and Preethi Pal claimed a bronze medal as Indian participants excelled on the third day of competitions at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championship here on Sunday. Nishad Kumar set the ball rolling for India by clinching a silver medal in the Men's High Jump T47 final with an impressive season-best mark of 1.99 metres.

Preethi Pal then added to the tally by winning a bronze medal in the Women's 200m T35 category, bringing India's tally to two medals after Day 3 of competitions.

On Monday, India will be expecting another medal as Deepthi Jeevanji has qualified for the final of the Women's 400m T20, setting a new Asian Record with a time of 56.18 seconds in the heats on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Britain's Sabrina Fortune broke the world record in the Women's Shot Put F20 and won the gold medal on Sunday.

The 23-year-old refreshed the world mark by throwing 14.73 metres in her sixth attempt, following a record-breaking throw of 14.56m in her second turn at the Universiade Memorial Stadium in the central Japanese port city.

Ecuador's Poleth Isamar Mendes Sanchez grabbed the silver medal with her seasonal best of 13.90m.

The Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships, held in East Asia for the first time, serve as a crucial qualifier for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The championships have attracted over 1,000 athletes from 100 countries and regions competing in 168 events.

The nine-day championships which run until May 25, were originally scheduled for 2021 and were postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, China pocketed four gold medals on the third day of competitions on Sunday to take an early lead in the medals tally.

In the women's javelin throw F34 final, China's Zou Lijuan retained her world title with a championship record throw of 21.22m, while her teammate Zuo Caiyun took silver with her seasonal best of 17.75m.

Chinese para thrower Yao Juan, another defending world champion, won the women's discus throw F64 final with a season's best of 43.09 meters, reports Xinhua.

Despite the drizzly weather, Chinese racers spared no effort during the day. Zhou Xia defended her world title in the women's 200m T35 final with a seasonal best of 29.45 seconds after wheelchair runner Zhou Hongzhuan won gold in the women's 800m T53 final by clocking her seasonal best of 1:56.54.

Other medallists for China on Sunday included Gao Fang, Zhou Zhaoqian, Liu Cuiqing, and Guo Qianqian, who took silver medals in the women's finals of 800m T53, 800m T54, 400m T11 and 200m T35, respectively.

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