By Shaurya Dutt
Hisar (Haryana) [India], October 8 : Indian para-athlete Ekta Bhyan shared insights on her performance at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi, saying that she was not entirely satisfied with her performance, as she did not reach her personal best of 21.66 metres.
Ekta Bhyan produced a season-best 19.80m to finish second in the women's club throw F51 final. She delivered a series of consistent throws without a single foul, saving her best effort for the last.
Ekta expressed pride and relief in winning a medal despite the challenging hot weather conditions.
Sharing his thoughts about her silver medal at the competition, the para-athlete told ANI, "The performance was very close to my last performance, and this time the competition was higher than the previous one. I couldn't perform as close to my personal best as I had hoped. It was 21.66 metres. I couldn't perform my personal best. But in those situations, it was very hot weather, and still, I am not happy with my performance, but winning a medal is something that I am feeling relaxed and proud of."
India finished 10th in the championships, claiming six gold, nine silver, and seven bronze medals, for a total of 22 medals. This marks India's best-ever performance at the World Championships.
Expressing his views on India's performance at the tournament, the 40-year-old player said, "It is a matter of pride for us to organise such a world-class event. It is the first time such a large event in Parathletics has been conducted, and it was a very successful one. I would like to extend my gratitude to the Sports Authority of India and the Paralympic Committee of India. They have developed and made arrangements, and especially taken care of accessibility. The hotel rooms, transportation, and stadium infrastructure, including lifts and ramps, were installed. It feels great that we could organise such a great event."
"It is a matter of honour that among our crowd, among the family of faces, and among the family languages, we did and performed well. Our medal tally has improved from the last World Championship. Both in the medal tally and also in bringing a sort of awareness about the disability sector and the Paralympic movement, it played a very important role in organising this event," she added.
Playing in infront of the home crowd in the Championships, the women's club thrower said, "Incredible. The first-time audience was there, and they were cheering in Hindi. A little bit of pressure and expectation was there. Both as defending champions and surrounded by family and friends, they have a lot of expectations. So a bit of pressure was there. I could convert my performance into a medal, and it felt great."
Last year, India officially submitted its bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the country.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on October 1 formally sent a 'Letter of Intent' to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Future Host Commission expressing India's interest in hosting the Olympics and Paralympic Games in 2036, according to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Talking about India hosting the Paralympics 2036, Ekta said, "We need to improve our public infrastructure, and then we can surely organise such a big event--the mega festival of sports. We need to work on some accessibility factors currently. Due to World Parathletics, we improved the infrastructure only for JLN, hotels, and transportation for that event. However, apart from that, we also need to make public transport, public places, and public buildings accessible. And yes, after that, we can surely dream and convert this dream into a reality of organising this big event."
After the completion of the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi, Ekta Bhyan will next feature in the Para Asian Games and the Los Angeles Paralympics 2028.
"I am thrilled that my event, the club throw, is now part of the 2028 Olympics. At the last Paralympics, the Paris Paralympics, it was not part of the event and was discontinued. I feel relieved that my hard work will get me that opportunity to perform. And yes, in 2026, we are having the Asian Para Games, and I am very optimistic about winning a medal over there as well. The main goal is winning a Paralympic medal that is missing from my achievements. So the main focus is on the Paralympics LA2028."