World Para Athletics C’ships: Sumit Antil, Mariyappan And Others Gear Up For Strong Show In Paris

New Delhi
A 48-member Indian contingent, spearheaded by Paralympic javelin champion Sumit Antil, is all geared up to put up a strong show at the Paris 2023 World Para Athletics Championships that kicked off on Saturday.
Antil, competing in men’s javelin F64 category, is joined by seasoned and Paralympic stars Thangavelu Mariyappan and Sharad Kumar (both men’s high jump T63), young high jumpers Praveen Kumar (T64) and Nishad Kumar (T47) besides promising Yogesh Kathunia (discus throw F56).
For Antil, it will be his first international competition since his record-breaking show at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. He has participated in a couple of national events including the recent Federation Cup, where he pulled off an impressive world record.
The preparation has been very satisfying. I am looking ahead to have a great competition with the sole focus on getting my personal best. In Dubai, I got a silver so I will be looking to change the colour of the medal in Paris. I have performed in the Charlety Stadium before and have had good results. So, I am looking forward to continuing that run here, said Antil, who will be in action on July 13.
Meanwhile, Dubai 2019 stars Sandeep Chaudhary and Sundar Singh Gurjar would be all out to defend their men’s javelin F44 and F46 titles respectively, at the Stade Charlety Stadium in Paris.