New Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): Norway’s Salum Ageze Kashafali ensured that the flow of world records would continue in the New Delhi 2025 Para World Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on a humid Sunday.
Salum clocked 10.42 seconds in the men’s 100m T12 final to improve on his own mark of 10.43 seconds set in 2021, as per a press release from the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).
“It is not as good to be a world champion. I am an old champion. It’s amazing,” said the 31-year-old, who is now a three-time world champion.
“I have won many medals before, but this one is the biggest as I could not train because of a knee injury for four months from December, and had to do boring work each day. So, this is the most enjoyable. With a little more tailwind, I would have burnt the track.”
In keeping with the flurry of records being rewritten on the new Mondo track in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, there were five other Championship Records set on Sunday evening, with legends Marcel Hug (Switzerland) and Great Britain’s Hannck Cockroft conquering the hearts of the goodly gathering with their tales of endurance and longevity in sport.
Hug predictably won the men’s 5000m T54 race with a measure of comfort. His arms powered his wheelchair to claim victory in 10:03.64, more than 16 seconds faster than the Championship Record he had set in Lyon way back in 2013. France’s Thibault Daurat fed on Hug’s pace to dip in under the old mark.
Of course, the 39-year-old Hug is a veritable example of endurance who has been competing for over two decades. The Silver Bullet, as he is known, has won a dozen gold among 22 medals in six earlier editions of the World Championships. Besides, he has 15 medals, including seven gold, in the Paralympic Games.
Similarly, Hannah Cockroft led a Great Britain sweep of the medals in the women’s 400m T34 final, cruising home in 55.62 seconds for a Championship Record. In winning her mind-boggling 17th World Championships gold medal, the inspirational 33-year-old improved her own meet mark of 58.29 seconds, set eight years ago.
United States’ Jadin Blackwell reclaimed the 100m T38 Championship Record from his team-mate Ryan Medrano with a scintillating run in the final. Medrano had broken Blackwell’s meet mark of 10.86 by clocking 10.83 in the heats. However, the 21-year-old world record holder delivered a winning script in the final to add to his gold medals in 2023 and 2024 and complete a hat-trick.
Orla Comerford (Ireland) claimed the women’s 100m T13 crown in 11.88 seconds, a Championship Record time, bettering the 12.00 seconds set by Leilia Adzametova of Ukraine in 2017. The gold on Sunday was her first medal in three tries in the event, having finished outside the podium in 2017 and 2023.
Ricardo Gomes de Mendonca (Brazil) blazed the 100m distance in 11.16 seconds to win the 100m T37 gold with a new Championship Record.
The results (finals):
*Men
100m T12: 1. Salum Ageze Kashafali (Norway) 10.42 seconds (New World Record. Old: 10.43, SA Kashafali, Norway, 2021; Old CR: 10.43, SA Kashafali, Norway, 2025); 2. Ryyrtaro Kuno (Japan) 11.01; 3. Kesley Tedoro (Brazil) 11.04.
100m T37: 1. Ricardo Gomes de Mendonca (Brazil) 11.16 second (New Championship Record. Old: 11.25, Ricardo Gomes de Mendonca, Brazil, 2025); 2. Christian Gabriel Luiz da Costa (Brazil) 11.23; 3. Saptoyogo Purnomo (Indonesia) 11.29.
100m T38: 1. Jaydin Blackwell (USA) 10.70 second (New Championship Record. Old: 10.83, Ryan Medrano, USA, 2025); 2. Ryan Medrano (USA) 10.90; 3. Thomas Young (Great Britain) 10.98.
400m T72: 1. Carlo Fabio Marcello Calcagni (Italy) 59.91 seconds; 2. Joao Matos Marques Cunha (Brazil) 1:07.23; 3. Piotr Siejwa (Poland) 1:14.40.
5000m T54: 1. Marcel Hug (Switzerland) 10:03.64 (New Championships Record. Old: 10:20.16, Marcel Hug, Switzeland, 2013); 2. Thibault Daurat (France) 10:09.04; 3. Puthraet Khongrak (Thailand) 10:49.32.
Long Jump T47: 1. Robiel Yankier Sol Cervantes (Cuba) 7.57m; 2. Nikita Kotukov (Neitral Para Athlete) 7.21; 3. Wang Hao (China) 7.19.
Javelin Throw F57: 1. Muhammet Khalvandi (Turkiye) 55.30m; 2. Yorkinbek Odilov (Uzbekistan) 52.06; 3. Amanohal Papi (Iran) 51.55.
Club Throw F32: 1. Walid Ferhah (Algeria) 39.53m; 2. Ahmed Mehideb (Algeria) 35.77; 3. Frantisek Serbus (Czechia) 34.46.
*Women
100m T13: 1. Orla Comerford (Ireland) 11.88 seconds (New Championship Record. Old: 12.00, L Adzametova, Ukraine, 2017); 2. Rayane Soares da Silva (Brazil) 12.07; 3. Kym Crosby (USA) 12.41.
400m T34: 1. Hannah Cockroft (Great Britain) 55.62 seconds (New Championship Record. Old: 58.29, Hannah Cockroft, Great Britain, 2017); 2. Kare Adenegan (Great Britain) 1:02.70; 3. Fabienne Andre (Great Britain) 1:04.31.
400m T37: 1. Natalia Kobzar (Ukraine) 1:01.18; 2. Viktoria Slanova (Neutral Para Athlete) 1:05.08; 3. Sheryl James (South Africa) 1:06.21.
400m T72: 1. Magdalena Andruskiewics (Poland) 1:13.98; 2. Andrea Stokholm Overgaar (Denmark) 1:15.36; 3. Judith Tortosa Vila (Spain) 1:17.06.
Shot Put F37: 1. Lisa Adams (New Zealand) 13.83m; 2. Irina Vertinskaia (Neutral Para Athlete) 12.95; 3. Mi Na (China) 12.98. (ANI)
