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World Para Athletics Championships 2025 - Round-Up
06/10/2025 00:00, In Blog /
Welsh athletes return from New Delhi with two gold medals, three bronze medals, a world record and a European record following a hugely successful World Para Athletics Championships.
Here’s how the championships panned out for the eight-strong Welsh contingent on the Great Britain team, which won seven gold, five silver and 13 bronze medals during the Championship in India.
DAY 1 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
Hollie Arnold (Blackheath and Bromley) got the GB team’s medal haul up and running by winning a bronze medal in the F46 javelin on the first day of the championships.
The six-time world champion had competed only once since winning bronze at last year’s Paris Paralympics having taken a break from the sport.
But Arnold returned to claim an eighth world podium place with a throw of 41.94m at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
Apart from the 41.37m she threw at the UK Championships in August, this was the longest throw the 31-year-old had produced since 2019.
Before the championships, Arnold had spoken openly about having to take a nine-month break from competition having been on the world stage since making her Great Britain debut at the Beijing Paralympics when she was just 14.
After claiming bronze on Saturday, the Blackheath and Bromley athlete said:
It's a real weird mix of emotions. I'm proud, there's upset, there's a million and one things.
After Paris mental health came first for me and I just needed to take that time for myself and really understand myself.
I didn't know if I was going to be here, this was not on my cards this year whatsoever, so to be able have very little training out here, throw pretty consistently well - I'm really proud of myself.
Arnold’s longest throw came in the first round, which saw her lead the field in the early stages.
However, Noelle Roerda of the Netherlands won the event, with a personal best of 43.74m, putting her clear of Uzbekistan's Shahinakhon Yigitalieva.
DAY 2 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28
Olivia Breen (City of Portsmouth) missed out on a place in the T38 100m final on the second day of the championships.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m champion finished fifth in her heat in 13.21, which wasn’t enough to see her progress.
DAY 3 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29
Before Monday’s shot put final, Sabrina Fortune (Deeside AAC) said she was “determined to smash” her existing world record.
At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, the north Wales athlete delivered in spectacular style – obliterating her existing mark by exactly one metre.
The remarkable first round throw of 16.75m also secured Fortune a fourth F20 shot put world title as she finished almost three metres clear of her nearest rival.
In the run up to the championships, Fortune also spoke of her desire to raise awareness for people living with hidden disabilities.
The 28-year-old was successful on all fronts as she captured the imagination of one of the largest crowds of these championships so far.
Following her latest triumph, Fortune said:
I’m over the moon. I’m so, so happy and honestly can’t believe it.
I wasn’t expecting that far – I wanted 16m and I wanted to push towards LA (the 2028 Paralympics) where I’d hopefully hit a 17m, but this pushes our plan off quite a bit!
It’s just trusting yourself in that moment, knowing what you are and trusting the process. If you don’t trust your body and your ability, you’re never going to do it.
The last few weeks I have been throwing really well, I have thrown 16.20/16.40 – so I was expecting something, but I wasn’t expecting that much. My coach only wanted 16m so I may have gone over quite a bit!
Monday’s morning session had seen two other Welsh throwers competing in the F44 discus – Cardiff Athletics clubmates and training partners Funmi Oduwaiye and Bree Cronin, who was making her Great Britain debut.
Oduwaiye, who represented GB at last year’s Paris Paralympics, threw consistently throughout the competition, but narrowly missed out on a medal with a best distance of 37.91m to finish fourth – one place ahead of Cronin.
The former Welsh international basketball player said afterwards: “I am content, not pleased but content. The aim was to go out there, win and get medals.
But me and Bree both did really well, especially Bree on her first major comp to come fifth that is an achievement in itself.
Oduwaiye, who said the competitors had to contend with warm conditions in the stadium, added:
Every competition I am hoping to get a PB.
I am not a 40m thrower yet, in competition, but hopefully by the time I finish my career, I will be well over that.
Meanwhile, Cronin’s best throw of 37.69m came in the penultimate round after she admitted to having made a nervous start.
Cronin said:
It wasn’t too bad for my first international – I’m pretty content with that. I’ve learned a lot – it’s a big stage. I’m only used to the national level, so this is a lot bigger than normal.
I was okay going into it but when I stepped into the circle my legs were like jelly!
t was a different vibe in the circle – I left it a bit too late but after a few throws it was okay, I enjoyed it and I wasn’t so nervous.
DAY 5 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1
In the T38 long jump final, Olivia Breen suffered further disappointment as she narrowly missed out on a medal as she finished in fourth place.
However, she had the consolation of jumping a new personal best of 5.17m with her first jump to place her just outside the podium spots in a high quality final that saw the world record broken twice.
DAY 7 FRIDAY OCTOBER 3
It was a case of one and done for Funmi Oduwaiye as she claimed her first global medal in the F44 shot put final.
With her first throw of the competition, Oduwaiye launched the shot out to a new personal best of 12.11m.
Although her remaining five throws were fouls, the Cardiff athlete’s opening effort was enough to secure a superb bronze medal.
Meanwhile, fellow Welsh athlete Harrison Walsh (Swansea Harriers) finished fifth in the F44 discus.
Former Wales basketball international Oduwaiye said of her bronze medal:
It feels great – I’m so happy I can achieve this.
Hopefully there’s more to come,
Oduwaiye finished behind China's Yao Juan and Arelle Middleton of the USA.
Despite admitting to feeling nervous before the competition, Oduwaiye stepped out into the huge Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and kept her cool to produce her medal winning effort.
I took it calm – and usually when I’m calm and collected, the throws go better than expected.
It was good that was the first throw – it was my only valid throw but I’ll take it!
I felt quite relaxed – there were a few nerves last night but I just gave it my all.
After that first throw I was able to remain calm and try to improve on it – there were a few good ones but unfortunately, I was making silly little mistakes that I never usually make.
As long as the first one was valid, that’s all that matters!
Oduwaiye’s bronze medal also brought her the Great Britain team’s Novuna Performance of the Day.
The 22-year-old juggles her sporting career with a degree in physiological science at the University of Bristol – travelling back to Cardiff to train.
Oduwaiye starts her second year this autumn – but hopes the university’s support will help to fulfil her sporting ambitions.
They include securing a place on Team Wales at next year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games and for GB at the European Championships.
There are further hopes to pull on the GB vest again at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.
In the evening session, Walsh produced a best throw of 51.49m in the discus final, while GB team-mate Dan Greaves finished two places ahead to claim bronze with 52.42m.
Walsh, who won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Wales and finished seventh at last year’s Paralympics in Paris, said afterwards: “It is two places better than it was in Paris, so a better performance.
Just a couple of things could have gone a different way and could have got a different result, but that is sport and why I do it.
I love it for that reason and hate it at the same time.
DAY 8 SATURDAY OCTOBER 4
On a day which saw the Great Britan team win seven medals, Michael Jenkins (Swansea Harriers) produced a superb new European record to claim bronze in the F38 shot put.
The 20-year-old threw 18.84m to finish third behind Columbians Jose Lemos Rivas and Levin Moreno Denis who set a huge new world record of 20.38m.
A delighted Jenkins said afterwards:
I genuinely don’t know how to describe the competition, I need a few days to reflect and figure it out.
The Pembrokeshire athlete revealed he also bagged another prize in addition to the bronze medal and European record.
Multiple world champion and GB and Wales team mate Aled Davies promised to give Jenkins his shot, if the youngster exceeded 18.50m.
Jenkins said:
Opening with nearly a metre PB is kind of insane. I had a bet with Aled. I competed with his shot put today, and he said if I get 18.50m, I can have his shot. Obviously, I did 18.85 so that is now my shot! So, thank you very much, Al!
I’ve seen Al as a brother for a very, very long time. I’ve trained with him for pretty much my entire athletics career.
I genuinely can’t describe how much our relationship means to me. He’s been keeping me calm the entire camp. Making sure I’m happy, making sure I know what I’m doing. It’s amazing.
Jenkins hopes the standard of Saturday’s competition will now see the F38 shot put classification included at the Paralympic Games.
The two Columbian lads, unbelievable performances from both of them. Hopefully, a performance like that with us three, and all the other lads, will give us more of a chance to have our event in the Paralympics. It’s been a good day.
DAY 9 SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
Aled Davies (Cardiff Athletics) rounded off the championships in perfect style by winning his seventh consecutive shot put title in the final session of the event.
In a thrilling F63 competition, the legendary Welsh athlete threw 16.44m on his fifth attempt to put himself in pole position.
Faisel Sorour from, Kuwait, who beat Davies to gold at last year’s Paris Paralympics, set a new area record of 16.28m with his sixth attempt, but it wasn’t enough to claim the top spot this time around. Aled daid:
It's quite surreal to be honest, Faisal is coming along and he has been pushing me. But I haven't been able to respond to him in the last few years. It feels good to be back but I still feel there's so much more to come.
Davies’ triumph was made even more sweet by the fact he has battled against a painful long term condition called osteitis pubis in recent seasons.
The 34-year-old was forced to undergo surgery for the complaint which causes pain and swelling in the groin.
But now Davies is back and has set himself the goal of breaking his own world record at the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.
The multiple world, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games champion said:
After last year's heartbreak, the pain of the last four or five years with my injuries, and finally accepting that I needed to have a few repairs.
I had to have a reconstruction of my hip and I was told I might not come back to the standards I was at.
I've done that. I've come back, rebuilt in the silence and I've come here and competed again.
I'm building towards LA. I'm going to break my world record.