 "Catherine Debrunner and James Turner. Image: Paralympics")
India is all set to host the 12th edition of the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi from September 27 to October 5. The event will feature some of the biggest national and international stars in para sport. These athletes have won multiple medals at the Paralympics and World Championships, and many are expected to fight for top honours this year too.
The Indian contingent will feature names like Preeti Pal, Navdeep Singh, Simran Sharma, Sumit Antil, Dharambir Nain, and Pranav Soorma , among others, who will be looking to win medals. Meanwhile, the competition will also feature top international stars competing for medals. Here’s a list of foreign athletes to watch out for at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.
Catherine Debrunner
Catherine Debrunner is a Swiss wheelchair racer and one of the most successful athletes to come to New Delhi this year. She won a record five gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Debrunner has eight World Championships medals, including five golds, four of which came at the last Worlds in Paris. She also won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award in 2023.
Fleur Jong
Fleur Jong from the Netherlands has dominated the T64 class since her breakout performance at the Paris 2023 World Championships. She won gold in both the 100m T64 and long jump T64 at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Jong also defended her titles at the Kobe World Championships and in Paris 2023. She will compete in the women’s 100m T64 and women’s long jump T64 in New Delhi.
Magdalena Andruszkiewicz
Magdalena Andruszkiewicz from Poland is a top competitor in frame running, which will make its Paralympic debut at the LA Paralympics in 2028. She is the reigning world champion in the 100m T72 and won silver at the 2023 World Championships in Paris. She will compete in the 400m T72 and the 100m T72 in the 2025 Worlds.
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Raoua Tlili is from Tunisia and is known as their queen of throwing events. She has 11 World Championships titles (six in shot put, five in discus) and eight Paralympic golds to her name. Tlili will compete in the shot put F41 and the discus throw F41 in the New Delhi World Championships.
Xiaoyan Wen
Xiaoyan Wen from China has five Paralympic golds from Rio and Tokyo and eight World Championships titles to her name. At the Paris Paralympics 2024, she won gold in 100m T37, 200m T37, long jump T37, and the 4x100m universal relay. She will compete in the women’s long jump T37, 400m T37, and 100m T37.
Athanasios Ghavelas
Athanasios Ghavelas from Greece is one of the fastest T11 sprinters in the world. He is a two-time Paralympic champion in the 100m T11 (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024) and won his first world title in Paris 2023. He will compete in the men’s 100m T11.
Ezra Frech
Ezra Frech from the USA is a rising star in para-athletics. He won double Paralympic gold in the 100m T63 and high jump T63 at the Paris Paralympics 2024. He also won gold in the high jump T63 and silver in Kobe last year. He will compete in the high jump T63, long jump T63, and 100m T63.
James Turner
James Turner from Australia is a top T36 sprinter. He won gold in the 800m T36 at Rio 2016 and has added multiple Paralympic and World Championship titles since then. Turner will compete in the 400m T36 and the 100m T36.
Markus Rehm
Markus Rehm from Germany is a legendary long jumper for below-knee amputees. He has seven World Championships golds and five Paralympic golds, holding a world record of 8.72m. He will compete in the men’s long jump.
Petrucio Ferreira
Petrucio Ferreira from Brazil is known as one of the fastest Paralympic athletes. He has six World Championships golds and three Paralympic titles in the 100m T47. His personal best is 10.29 seconds. He will compete in the 100m T47 heats, with the final on the same evening.