WAPC 2025: Sabrina Fortune's world record shares spotlight with Rinku Hooda's gold

New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Great Britain’s Sabrina Fortune annexed her fourth women’s shot put F20 gold medal with a world record in the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday, even as India's Rinku Hooda claimed a memorable men’s javelin throw F46 gold for India, beating the past three champions.

There were five other championship records rewritten on Monday evening, none more popular than the one set by Rinku Hooda, who hurled the spear to a distance of 66.37m in winning the high-voltage men’s javelin throw F46 final from his more experienced teammate Sundar Singh Gurjar. For the home crowd, it would have been more memorable had Ajeet Singh completed a medal sweep.

It was a riveting contest that saw two Indians duelling for the top spot – and the championship record. Rinku Hooda threw the gauntlet down, opening with 63.81m for a new mark, but Sundar Singh Gurjar sent the spear soaring over 64.11m on the third try to claim the record. However, a pumped-up Rinku Hooda regained it with his fifth attempt to seal the win.

The defending champion, Guillermo Varona Gonzalez (Cuba), claimed bronze with 53,34m ahead of the 2023 World Champion Ajeet Singh (61.77) to deny the home sweep of the medals. But in beating the past three champions – Sundar Singh Gurjar had tasted such success in 2019 – Rinku Hooda showcased his mental strength and skill with the Javelin.

Aware that the stands would be reverberating with support for the Indian F46 trio in the javelin throw final happening alongside, she wasted no time in nailing the world record with her opening throw over 16.75m. Each of the subsequent five tries, ranging from 13.99m to 15.71m, was good enough to get her gold on Monday.

Sabrina Fortune said she was surprised by the world record. “I just wasn't expecting that today. It's so, so hot. So many things have gone wrong in the last week. It's just one of those things that make you so happy. I can't put into words how much. I just want to jump up and down and run the whole track, but I might overheat trying to do that,” she said.

Reflecting on her journey as a four-time world champion, she said it was down to having a good coach and good places to train. “I had a few years where I just didn't improve, and I feel it's just coming back now, and I am improving. Honestly, as long as you believe in yourself, I think it'll always carry on,” she said.

A day after winning the 5000m T54 gold, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner returned to the track to claim the 800m T53 crown in 1:40.15, knocking nearly 15 seconds off the old record set by Australian Madison de Rozario in 2019.

Joel De Jong (the Netherlands) in the men’s long jump T63 final, where he beat the erstwhile championships record holder, Leon Schaefer of Germany, by a 12cm margin. Angie Nicoll Mejia Morales (Colombia) in the women’s 100m T38 and China’s Zou Lijuan, who improved her own women’s javelin throw F34 record set in 2017, were the others who held centre stage.

Zou Lijuan’s gold, coming with Zao Caiyun’s silver, helped China return to the top of the medal table with four gold, seven silver, and three bronze medals, finishing ahead of Brazil’s four gold, seven silver, and two bronze. Similarly, the 1-2 that Rinku Hooda and Sundar Singh Gurjar earned for India saw the home team rise to sixth place on the charts with two gold, two silver, and one bronze.

Long before the men's F46 javelin throw competition started, Chaiwat Rattana (Thailand), who set the men’s 400m T34 world record at 47.94 seconds in the heats on Sunday, claimed gold in 48.01. He trailed Australian Rheed McCracken in the 200m mark, but he handled the second half of the one-lapper with calm and focus to win comfortably.

The results (finals):

Men

400m T34: 1. Chaiwat Rattana (Thailand) 48.01 seconds; 2. Rheed McCracken (Australia) 48.67; 3. Austin Smeenk (Canada) 49.43.

400m T53: 1. Pongsakorn Paeyo (Thailand) 46.81; 2. Yoo Byunghoon (South Korea) 49.29; 3. Vitali Gritsenko (Neutral Para Athlete) 49.37.

Long Jump T63: 1. Joel De Jong (Netherlands) 7.57 (New Championships Record. Old: 7.25, Leon Schaefer, Germany, 2023); 2. Leon Schaefer (Germany) 7.45; 3. Daniel Wagner (Denmark) 7.20.

Discus Throw F52: Aigars Apinis (Latvia) 19.32; 2. Andre Rocha (Brazil) 18.79; 3. Velmr Sandor (Croatia) 18.09.

Javelin Throw F46: 1. Rinku Hooda (India) 66.37m (New Championships Record. Old: 61.89, Guo C, China, 2015); 2. Sundar Singh Gurjar (India) 64.76; 3. Guillermo Varona Gonzalez (Cuba) 63.34; 4. Ajeet Singh (India) 61.77.

Women

100m T38: 1. Angie Nicoll Mejia Morales (Colombia) 12.34 seconds (New Championships Record. Old: Angie Nicoll Mejia Morales, Colombia, 2025); 2. Karen Tatiana Palomeque Moreno (Colombia) 12.36; 3. Lida Maria Manthopolou (Greece) 12.72.

100m T47: 1. Kiara Rodriguez (Ecuador) 11.97; 2. Maria Clara Augusto Silva (Brazil) 12.20; 3. Marie Ngoussou Ngouyi (France) 12.29.

400m T11: 1. Thalita Vitoria Simplicio da Silva (Brazil) 59.76; 2. Juliana Ngleya Moko (Angola) 1:01.42; 3. Melissa Baldera (Peru) 1:03.84.

800m T53: 1. Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) 1:40.16 (New Championships Record. Old: 1:52.15, M de Rozario, Australia, 2019); 2. Zhou Hongzhuan (China) 1:47.71; 3. Hamide Dogangun (Turkiye) 1:47.99.

800m T54: 1. Lea Bayekula (Belgium( 1:48.91; 2. Zhou Zhaoqian (China) 1:49.46; 3. Melaine Woods (Great Britain) 1:49.59.

Shot Put F20: 1. Sabrina Fortune (Great Britain) 16.75m (New World Record. Old WR: 15.75, Sabrina Fortune, 2025, Old CR: 14.73, Sabrina Fortune, 2024); 2. Ebrar Keskin (Turkiye) 13.80; 3. Aleksandra Zaitseva (Neutral Para Athlete) 13.74.

Javelin Throw F34: 1. Zou Lijuan (China ) 21.41m (New Championships Record. Old: 20.47, Zou Lijuan, China, 2017); 2. Zao Caiyun (China) 20.58; 3. Dayna Crees (Australia) 18.97.

--IANS

bsk/