New Delhi
Brazil’s Zileide Cassiano Da Silva and Turkiye’s Fatma Damla Altin created history at the World Para Athletics Championships (WPAC) 2025 by defeating Polish long jump legend Karolina Kucharczyk-Urbanska, who had to settle for bronze on Sunday.
Zileide won the gold with a stunning leap of 5.88 metres, followed by Fatma’s 5.72 metres for silver. Kucharczyk-Urbanska, returning after missing the 2024 season, managed a best of 5.55 metres. This marks only her third defeat in ten global events since her debut in 2011. She has previously won four World Championship golds and three Paralympic titles.
Despite the setback, the Polish athlete remained positive, saying the bronze felt like gold since she competed with an ankle injury. “I had a lot of fun today and fought hard to stay on the podium,” she said, praising her rivals’ strong performances in the tough Delhi weather.
Croatia’s Mikela Ristoski, who had previously beaten Kucharczyk-Urbanska in 2011 and 2016, narrowly missed the bronze this time.
In the women’s shot put F40 class, the Netherlands’ Lara Baars set a new world record with a 9.77-metre throw, breaking her own record twice. It became the 30th world record of the New Delhi 2025 championships.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s Paulino dos Santos Thiago was reinstated to silver in the men’s shot put F57 after the Jury of Appeal restored his marks, pushing India’s Soman Rana to bronze. India now stands seventh in the medal tally with six gold, six silver, and six bronze medals, awaiting sprinter Simran Sharma’s 200m T12 final.
