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Preeti Pal sprinted to 200m gold to seal a double at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix as India dominated the meet with a massive 208-medal haul.
Indian para-sprinter Preeti Pal (X)
Preeti Pal delivered a stunning performance on Friday, powering to victory in the women’s 200m to cap a remarkable campaign for India at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
The double Paris 2024 Paralympic Games medallist exploded off the blocks and maintained relentless pace to win the T35–T37 200m final in 30.26 seconds, comfortably securing her second gold medal of the meet after winning the 100m the previous day.
The 25-year-old from Meerut finished well ahead of Russia’s Karina Machulskaia, who claimed silver in 32.22 seconds, while India’s Bina Shambhubha took bronze with a time of 32.35 seconds.
India’s Impressive Medal Haul
The host nation delivered a dominant performance across the competition, collecting an astonishing 208 medals, including 75 gold, 69 silver and 64 bronze.
The tally placed India comfortably atop the standings in a field of eight teams. Russia finished second with 35 medals (15 gold, 14 silver, 6 bronze), while Bosnia and Herzegovina secured third place with three medals.
Preeti Hungry To Keep Improving
Despite the victory, Preeti said she was still chasing faster times.
“I narrowly missed the target I was aiming for at the Grand Prix by a microsecond. Overall, things are going well,” she said.
“My personal best is 30.03 seconds, and in practice I’ve already clocked 29.6 seconds, which is encouraging. But I noticed that I get tired as I approach the finish line, something I’m working to improve.”
A Dominant Showing From India
India also swept the men’s shot put F57, with Shubham Juyal winning gold with 14.45m, ahead of Bhagat Singh and Priyans Kumar.
Further clean sweeps followed in the men’s 200m T37–T44 and men’s 800m T53–T54, highlighting India’s growing depth in para athletics.
(with PTI inputs)
March 13, 2026, 9:23 pm IST
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