New Delhi, Oct 11 : The Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday felicitated India's medal-winning contingent from the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, commending them for their extraordinary spirit, determination, and record-breaking performance that has filled the nation with pride.

India achieved its best-ever performance in the history of the World Para Athletics Championships, finishing 10th in the overall standings with a record 22 medals ' 6 Gold, 9 Silver, and 7 Bronze. The Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, awarded cash prizes totalling over Rs 1.09 crore to the para athletes.

"You are not para athletes, but power athletes of bharat. The pride you brought to the nation after the medal wins and the inspiring message you have given to divyang people in particular is noteworthy. The passion you have shown is tremendous," Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said in his address to para athletes during the felicitation.

The Sports Minister praised the spirit and resilience shown by the athletes during the competition and added, "The vision and spirit of New India which is shown by Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi is upheld in the best way. The Prime Minister was watching your matches on TV and he used to keep asking about you all during our meetings," the Union Minister added.

The felicitation follows what has been called internationally as India's most successful hosting of a global para-sport event. The New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, was the largest para-sport event ever organised in India, featuring over 2,100 participants from 100 countries competing across 186 medal events.

Also present at the occasion, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Devendra Jhajharia said, "The Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI) have helped us as a family. The WPA gave us a trophy on the final day of the event for hosting this event successfully. They said they will be happy to have India host more such events in the country, going forward. Both the IPC president Andrew Parsons and World Para Athletics President Paul Fritzerald said that the level of facilities provided to athletes and the technical conduct of the Games, were both of the highest level. This kind of praise from international associations was made possible because of the combined strength of PCI, SAI and the Ministry. Today, the Minister handing over of the cash awards to athletes within seven days of the competition, is another showcase of his remarkable efforts to improve sports," Jhajharia said.

The athletes spoke in unison in favour of the MONDO track at the JLN Stadium, which played a significant role during the championships.

"All of us were very happy about the MONDO track, which was present in both the warm up area and the competition area," said Sumit Antil. "Besides that, the hotels, transportation that were provided was also very good. The local volunteers as well as SAI and PCI also helped us a lot."

Sailesh Kumar, who bagged the first gold for India at the WPAC 2025, mentioned, "It was such a big event in India. I was nervous on the first day but the preparations were good. The track and home support were very favourable. Besides the MONDO track, the nearby gym and fitness centre also proved useful," the Bihar lad added.

Double medalist Preeti Pal mentioned the medical centre. "The medical room helped us sprinters a lot in between our races for recovery. The ice bath in particular proved really beneficial," she said.

Reiterating the mental resilience showcased by the para athletes, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya thanked them for transforming 'disability into determination'. "This is a new definition of courage that will keep inspiring the future generations. The entire nation is proud of your achievements. You have not only won medals, but you have also won our hearts."" You have shown that when intent is strong, wheelchairs can also become wings," he added.

/IANS