Brazil’s Antonia Keyla Da Silva Barros shattered the women’s 1500m T20 world record at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, grabbing gold in a stunning 4:19.22 on Thursday. The victory felt even better as she outran Poland’s six-time world champion Barbara Bieganowska-Zajac, who set the old record back in 2012 and boasts three Paralympic golds in the event.
Da Silva Barros played it smart, building a solid lead early to counter Bieganowska-Zajac’s famous late surge. This win marks a huge step for the Brazilian, who served as a guide runner for teammate Edneusa de Jesus Santos Dorta at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Adding to Brazil’s excitement, Wanna Brito Oliveria snagged the women’s shot put F32 gold with her own world record throw. These triumphs pushed Brazil to the top of the medal table with 12 golds, 16 silvers, and 7 bronzes after six days, leaving China in second at 8-10-9.
Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner stole the show as the championships’ top individual performer, claiming her fourth gold in four events. The multi-talented runner triumphed in the 100m T53 on Thursday night, setting a new championships record to go with her earlier wins in the 800m T53, 1500m T54, and 5000m T54. Her success spans distances from 100m to 5000m, making her a standout in para athletics.
For the host nation India, Paris 2024 Paralympic champion Dharambir Nain, 36, earned a silver in the men’s club throw F51 with a best effort of 29.71 meters on his final attempt. He led for a while, but Serbia’s Aleksandar Radisic pulled ahead with 30.36 meters. Atul Kaushik, 29, battled through a tense wait to secure bronze in the men’s discus throw F57, after Uzbekistan’s Yorkinbek Odilov’s foul on his last throw confirmed the podium spot. Fellow Indian Pranav Soorma, a silver medalist from Paris, finished fifth in the club throw.
Despite these medals, India dropped to seventh on the table with 4 golds, 5 silvers, and 2 bronzes—no golds in the last two days cost them ground from fourth place overnight. Italy and Switzerland each notched their fifth golds on Thursday, while Colombia climbed to sixth thanks to Karen T Palomeque M’s win in the women’s 200m T38, bolstered by extra silvers over India. Poland sits third with 5-1-1.
India faced more heartbreak when Dilip Mahadu Gavit, 22, faded to fourth in the men’s 400m T20, clocking 48.61 seconds after leading midway. His splits showed the struggle: 11.55, 10.85, 12.34, and 13.87 seconds for each 100m. Earlier, another Indian, in the morning discus, also ended up fourth after medal hopes.
Rain disrupted the evening schedule, postponing the men’s long jump T64 and shot put F46 finals. Organizers quickly resumed the men’s discus throw F57 and club throw F51 after the break, keeping things on track. With three days left, the race for medals heats up in New Delhi.
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