Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland dominated the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships once again, grabbing her third gold medal on Wednesday at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The unstoppable wheelchair racer, who already took home wins in the women’s 5000m T54 and 800m T53 events, powered through the 1500m T54 final to set a new championships record of 3:16.81.
China’s Zhou Zhaoqian, the defending champion, finished second in 3:17.41—just like she did in the 800m. Zhou now eyes a comeback in the upcoming 100m and 400m sprints, but Debrunner, fresh off four gold medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, looks set to keep her winning streak alive in para athletics.
Over in the men’s shot put F36, the tension was electric. Vladimir Sviridov, competing as a Neutral Para Athlete, unleashed a massive 17.01m throw on his final attempt to snag gold and smash the championships record—beating the old mark of 16.83 set by Tunisia’s Yassine Guenichi in 2023. Sviridov, born in Russia and a two-time Paralympic champion, had edged ahead with 16.93m in the fifth round, only for Guenichi to fire back with his own 16.93m to lead on countback.
Guenichi started strong, leading after the first two rounds with 16.57m and 16.74m throws among the eight competitors. The 35-year-old Sviridov paced nervously, hands behind his head, as officials measured his game-changing effort. When the 17.01m flashed up, he erupted in celebration. Even Guenichi, who won the last two world titles in Sviridov’s absence and has pushed him hard in past events like the 2019 Worlds and Paris 2024 Paralympics, gave him a big hug in sportsmanship.
Here’s a quick roundup of the other finals from the day:
Men’s events:
- Long Jump T13: Spain’s Ivan Jose Cano Blanco leaped 7.11m for gold, ahead of Japan’s Ryota Fukunaga (7.04m) and Norway’s Vergard Dragsud Sverd (6.88m).
- Shot Put F36: 1. Vladimir Sviridov (NPA) 17.01m (new record); 2. Yassine Guenichi (Tunisia) 16.93m; 3. Alan Kokoity (NPA) 16.86m.
Women’s events:
- 100m T37: China’s Wen Xiaoyan sprinted to victory in 12.93 seconds, followed by the USA’s Taylor Swanson (13.27s) and Viktoriia Slanova (NPA) (13.79s).
- 1500m T54: 1. Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) 3:16.81 (new record); 2. Zhou Zhaoqian (China) 3:17.41; 3. Melaine Woods (Great Britain) 3:19.75.
- Discus Throw F11: China’s Xie Enhui hurled 39.51m for the win, with Italy’s Assunta Legnante (37.90m) and Lithuania’s Oksana Debrovolskaja (37.24m) close behind.
- Javelin Throw F54: Iran’s Elham Salehi topped the field at 17.06m, beating Mexico’s Alondra Salazar (16.83m) and Rebeca Citlaly Cortes (15.48m).
- Javelin Throw F56: Latvia’s Diana Krumina threw 26.18m for gold, while Brazil’s Raissa Rocha Machado set a new F56 class record at 23.90m for silver. Iran’s Zeinab Moradi Rashnou took bronze (22.06m), and India’s Suchitra Parida finished sixth with 18.29m.
These results highlight the fierce competition at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi, where athletes from around the globe are pushing limits in track and field events.
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