World Para Athletics Championships:
Iran’s Khosravi shatters world record to retain shot put dominance
Iran’s Yassin Khosravi grabbed a third successive shot put gold at the World Para Athletics Championships, thanks to a world record-breaking performance in New Delhi on Saturday.
Reigning Paralympic champion Khosravi saved his best for last, registering a 16.60m effort on his final attempt in the men’s F57 class to improve his own world record – set in July 2023 – by an impressive 59 centimeters.
Brazilian Thiago Paulino Dos Santos – silver medalist in last year’s Paris Paralympics – again had to settle for a runner-up finish behind the Iranian with 14.82m, with the host’s Soman Rana took the bronze with a 14.69m effort.
This was Iran’s seventh gold medal across eight days of action at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Amirhossein Alipour (F11), and Aliasghar Javanmardi (F35) also claimed the ultimate prize in their respective men’s shot put events, with Mahdi Olad completing an all-Iranian one-two finish in the F11 category.
There was further glory for the country in the men’s javelin throw contests, as Ali Baziyar won the F54 gold earlier on Saturday, with his compatriot Erfan Bondori settling for the bronze, after Paralympic champion Saeid Afrooz had broken his own world record en route to glory in the F34 division on Thursday.
Hassan Bajoulvand, meanwhile, grabbed the gold medal in the men’s discus throw F11 competition.
Elham Salehi was the sole Iranian gold medalist in the women’s competitions, winning the title in the javelin throw F54 contest – the Iranian girl’s second medal in New Delhi following a bronze in the shot put F54 event.
Zeinab Moradi won a bronze in the women’s javelin throw F56 class, while Iran’s only medal in the track competitions came in the women’s 400m T12 category, where Hajar Safarzadeh won a precious silver.
Amanollah Papi got Iran of the mark in New Delhi with a consolation bronze in the men’s javelin throw F57 showdown.