Multi-Paralympic Champions Lead Star-Studded Field at New Delhi World Para Athletics Championships
Multi-Paralympic champions from Tunisia, Brazil and China headline a stellar cast of athletes chasing gold as the World Para Athletics Championships begin Saturday in New Delhi, India.
More than 1,100 athletes from over 100 nations will compete in 184 events from Sept. 27 through Oct. 5 — 13 more than the previous edition in Kobe, Japan. The championships mark the largest single Paralympic sport event ever held in India.
All competition takes place at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, newly equipped with a MONDO track for the world championships. The venue hosted a World Para Athletics Grand Prix for the first time in March and will remain part of the circuit for the next three years.
Opening Day Action
American Ezra Frech, Paralympic champion in the men’s high jump T63, will aim to unify his titles after settling for silver at the 2024 world championships. He faces a strong Indian trio of Rahul, Bhati Varun Singh and Kumar Shailesh.
The women’s 400m T20 will close the opening day with a thrilling showdown between India’s Deepthi Jeevanji, world champion and Paralympic bronze medallist, and Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar, the Paris 2024 gold medallist.
India will field its largest-ever squad with 73 athletes — 54 men and 19 women — reflecting the country’s rapid rise in Para athletics. From a single silver at the London 2012 Paralympics, India soared to 18 medals, including four golds, at Paris 2024.
Broadcast Coverage
The championships will be streamed live on the Paralympics YouTube channel. American viewers can access the stream, though geo-blocking restrictions apply in India where fans can watch on Doordarshan.
International broadcast partners include CazéTV and Globo in Brazil, CBC in Canada, YLE in Finland, ARD and ZDF in Germany, RAI in Italy, TVP in Poland and TSport7 in Thailand.
Medal Contenders
China has brought the largest international delegation with 58 athletes, aiming to top the medal standings. Among their stars is Xiaoyan Wen (T37), who won three individual golds and the universal relay title at Paris 2024 and has eight world titles.
Brazil and Australia round out the top three largest teams. Brazil had a stellar 2024, finishing second at the world championships in Kobe and third at the Paris Paralympics.
Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira, the fastest Paralympian on the planet with a personal best of 10.29 seconds, is chasing a fifth consecutive gold in the men’s 100-meter T47. The South American powerhouse will also defend titles with Yeltsin Jacques in the men’s 5,000-meter T11 and Elizabeth Gomes in the women’s discus F53.
For Australia’s Vanessa Low, the championships mark a full-circle moment. The reigning world champion and three-time Paralympic gold medalist in the women’s long jump T63 made her international debut in India at the 2009 IWAS World Games in Bengaluru.
Germany’s legendary Markus Rehm, the “Blade Jumper,” returns in pursuit of an eighth world title in the men’s long jump T64. A five-time Paralympic champion and world record holder at 8.72 meters, Rehm was Germany’s sole gold medalist at the Paris Paralympics — a Games described as a “low point” by national coach Marion Peters.
The 27-athlete German squad includes three other reigning world champions: Johannes Floors (men’s 400-meter T62), Niko Kappel (men’s shot put F41) and Leon Schaeffer (men’s 100-meter T63 and long jump T63).
Full schedule, results and medallists from the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships can be found here.