World Para Athletics Championships 2025: Gnezdilov Towers Over F40 Shot Put Event With Two World Record Throws

Neutral Paralympic Athlete (NPA) Denis Gnezdilov smashed the men's shot put F40 world record twice to win the gold medal on the third day of World Para Athletics Championships, in New Delhi on Monday.

His dominance in the event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was such that each of his five throws after the opening 10.66m effort was good enough for him to get the gold.

The 38-year-old Russian was in a league of his own, and his 11.85m on his third attempt bettered Paralympic gold medallist Portuguese Miguel Monteiro’s world record. The 11.92m effort on the last throw raised the bar even higher in the event meant for short stature athletes.

Gnezdilov, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medal winner, claimed his third World Championship crown to continue his stranglehold on the event.

Russian, as well as Belarusian, athletes are competing as part of NPA as they are not allowed to compete under their national flag after the invasion of Ukraine.

Monteiro was second with 11.31m while Garrah Tnaiash of Iraq took the bronze with 10.86m.

There were two championship records that were breached on Monday morning. Poland’s Bartosz Gorczak rewrote the meet mark in the men’s shot put F53 final with a 8.67m throw while the women’s discus throw F44 final witnessed Mexico’s Osiris Aneth Machado getting the gold with championship record of 44.36m.

Poland won their second gold of the day through Faustyna Kotlowska in the women's discus throw F64 event.

The two gold medals helped Poland vault to the top of the medal table with four gold and four bronze, ahead of Brazil (3 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze) and China (3-4-3).

Dayawanti breaks Asian record but finishes fourth

From among the Indians in the fray, Dayawanti had the best placing, a 27.94m effort on her last attempt saw her finish fourth in the women's discus throw F64 final on Monday morning.

It fetched her the Asian Record but 1.51m separated her and the bronze medalist Alicia Guerrero of the United States of America.

Ayush Verma was fifth in men’s shot put F5 final, his best effort of 7.23m falling 97cm short of the bronze medal distance attained by Ales Kisy of Czechia.

Rongali Ravi, a seasoned campaigner, was unable to be in the mix in the dramatic men's shot put F40 final with his season's best effort of 10.10m, falling 76cm short of a podium finish.