Para-athletics – Bhartiyanews24x7

Wednesday was a red-letter day for wheelchair racers Manikandan Jothi and Manoj Sabapathi at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi. The Tamil Nadu para athletes finished 1-2 on the podium in the men’s 400 metre (T54) final, only the second time they have medalled at an international event.“It feels good to finish on the podium. A medal at an event like a Grand Prix is important for ranking points,” Manikandan told The Indian Express after his event. Wheelchair racing comes with its set of hurdles; from lack of spare parts and service centres in India, and an expensive racing cycle. India has a handful of wheelchair racers with not more than 20 competing at the Nationals. Wheelchair racing wasn’t Manikandan’s first choice. Story continues below this ad Manikandan...

12°57′ N 77°37′ E is tattooed on the left arm of multiple Paralympic medalist Vanessa Low of Australia.The co-ordinates are of Bengaluru. Her first-ever visit to India in 2009 was to the Garden City. She was 19 then and it was her first international classification event. She has three more coordinates of Christchurch, Lyon and Doha, host cities of the World Para Athletics Championships.Over a decade and a half since her visit to Bengaluru, the 34-year-old is back in the country as three-time Paralympic gold medalist and three-time World Champion in the T63 Long Jump. She’s in the capital to take part in the first-ever World Para Athletics Grand Prix happening in the national capital. “2009 was my first trip. It was very chaotic. Transport didn’t work well and there were struggles but I lo...

Tag: Para-athletics

World Para Athletics Grand Prix: For India’s wheelchair racers, hurdles are off the track too

For para athletics star Vanessa Low, return to India is a full-circle moment