Defending Champion Ekta Bhyan aims for personal best, third medal in club throw at World Para Athletics C'ships

New Delhi, Sep 12 India's Ekta Bhyan, who has already secured medals at the last two editions of the World Para Athletics Championships, is aiming for her third successive medal when she competes in the Para Athletics Worlds on home soil as the defending champion in the women's F51 club throw event.

Ekta secured the gold medal with a season's best throw of 20.12m in the women' F51 club throw competition at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe last year. She won the bronze medal at the 2023 edition of the world championships in the same event in Paris.

"Yes, in the last World Championship, I threw over 20 meters. After the World Championship, I had about 8 competitions where I was able to improve my performance. So, I’m hopeful that I can improve my personal best in this event as well. That’s my main focus right now.

"Of course, I’m also aiming for a medal. I want to continue putting in this effort. In the last two World Championships, I won medals, so I’m definitely aiming for a medal this time too," Ekta told IANS on Friday.

Asked about expectations that come with being a defending champion, Ekta admitted, "Yes, there is a certain level of expectation. Personally, I also expect myself to improve upon my past performance. I'm hopeful that I can repeat or even exceed it. There is a bit of pressure — it's not something I feel completely relaxed about. Yes, there's some pressure to perform better and continue improving."

Ekta, who is a Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer, had previously clinched a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, and followed it up with a bronze at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China.

The World Para Athletics Championships will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi from September 27 to October 5. This marks the first time the country will host the event, the biggest-ever Para sport competition to take place in India.

Sharing that hosting a World Championship will impact the parasport and athletes in the country, Ekta said this brings India onto the global stage and hosting such events pushes for better infrastructure and greater accessibility for persons with disabilities across the country.

"This will be a great boost, especially for the Para movement and the broader Paralympic movement. It's not just about sports — it's also about advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. Hosting such events pushes for better infrastructure and greater accessibility for persons with disabilities across the country.

"Secondly, this brings India onto the global stage, with over a thousand athletes participating from different parts of the world. I’m glad to see that India has begun organising such major international events. In March, India successfully hosted the India Grand Prix, where many new athletes were classified.”

This sets a new benchmark — not only in terms of sporting excellence but also from a social perspective. It shows that persons with disabilities can be fully included in the mainstream," Ekta said.

In 2003, Ekta’s life changed forever when a tragic accident left her with a spinal cord injury, confining her to a wheelchair. But what could have been the end of her dreams became the beginning of an extraordinary journey. Today, she’s not only a world champion and national record holder but also a powerful voice for accessibility and inclusion.

Ekta competes in three different para-sports: discus throw, club throw, and para-table tennis. She has two world championships medals, two Asian Games medals and 12 national championship medals across discus and club throw events.

--IANS

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