Indian discus thrower Haney came agonizingly close to a medal at the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, but a stunning last-second effort from a rival dashed his hopes. The 19-year-old from Haryana shared his disappointment after finishing fourth in the men’s F37 event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday.
Haney kicked off strong with a throw of 51.22 meters under a bright sunny sky. Coming off a personal best of 53.81 meters, he had every reason to dream big. He stayed in bronze medal contention throughout, training hard at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Rohtak under coach Sunil Phogat. But in the final round, Japan’s Yamato Shimbo stole the show. Shimbo unleashed a personal best of 54.50 meters, jumping from third to second for the silver and bumping Ukraine’s Mykola Zhabnyak to bronze. That left Haney in fourth—just missing the podium.
“I was sure of winning bronze, but in the last round, the Japanese athlete went past me, and I couldn’t do well either,” Haney said. “I’m very disappointed.” Despite the heartbreak, the young Paralympic athlete sees the silver lining. As part of the Hyundai Samarth initiative, he’s soaking up experience from competing against top international para athletes.
“I learned a lot from this big event,” Haney added. “Participating alongside global stars was a great learning curve. I’ll work harder to get better. Next year, I’m targeting the Asian Para Games.”
Haney’s already proven he’s got talent. Two years ago at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, he grabbed gold in javelin F37/38. Earlier this year, he snagged bronze in the discus F37 at the Delhi World Para Athletics Grand Prix. At just 19, this Haryana para athlete looks set for even bigger things in para athletics.
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