India Tops Medal Tally at Dubai Grand Prix – Fazza Para Athletics with 43 Medals

Dubai: India delivered a dominant performance at the Dubai 2026 Grand Prix – Fazza International Athletics Championships, finishing at the top of the medal standings with a total of 43 medals, including 16 gold, 13 silver, and 14 bronze.

Colombia and Kenya secured second and third positions, winning 11 and 6 gold medals respectively from their 20 medals each. Host nation United Arab Emirates finished fourth, claiming six gold medals out of a total haul of 31 medals at the season’s opening event of World Para Athletics Grand Prix.

For India, which will host the upcoming WPA Grand Prix at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, the strong start to the season was crucial. Indian athletes delivered impressive performances at the Dubai Club for People of Determination, showcasing depth and consistency across events.

Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil secured gold in the men’s javelin F64 category. Fellow Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medallists Navdeep and Dharambir Nain also started their campaigns strongly, winning gold in the men’s javelin F41 and men’s club throw F51 events, respectively.

Preeti Pal, a double bronze medallist at Paris 2024, continued her impressive form by winning gold in the women’s 100m T35 event and bronze in the 200m T35 category, reinforcing her consistency on the global stage.

Expressing her ambition, Preeti said her goal is to improve her personal best and win as many gold medals as possible for India, adding that the season has only just begun and she hopes to achieve even greater success for the country.

Bhagyashri M. Jadhav registered an emotional comeback victory by winning gold medals in the women’s shot put and javelin F34 events. Reflecting on her performance, she said that after competing in both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics, her performance in Dubai was her best so far and has boosted her confidence ahead of next year’s World Championship.

Other Indian gold medallists included Rinku Hooda in the men’s javelin F46, Varun Singh Bhati in the men’s high jump T42, Dilip Mahadu Gavit in the men’s 400m T46, and Sahil Salim Sayyad in the men’s wheelchair discus F54/55 event.

India also earned silver medals through Sunil Kumar, Pranav Soorma, and Gurubaskarase Sakkappan, while bronze medals were secured by athletes including Ranjit Chanda, Poonma Ram, Fatima Khatoon, and Dipesh Kumar.

The Fazza Championships have long been an important stop on the global para athletics calendar. India’s top finish in Dubai highlights the growing strength and depth of its para athletics programme, signalling strong prospects for upcoming international competitions.

With inputs from IANS