Changing Perceptions, Challenging Limits: Sumit Antil eyes bigger goals after defending worlds title

Sumit Antil completed a hat-trick of gold medals at the World Championships with his feat in Delhi.

Sumit Antil grabbed headlines at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 after smashing the championship record en route to a third straight worlds gold in men’s javelin F64 event.

The 27-year-old, who holds the world record in this event at 73.29m, has now won gold in six consecutive major events in the para-athletics universe. A Bonafide legend in his field, Antil won gold in New Delhi with a best throw of 71.37m, to complete a hat-trick of gold medals at the world championships.

In fact, Sumit was so dominant on his home turf that all of his valid throws exceeded the best throws of his competitors, with Colombia’s Tomás Felipe Soto Mina (48.38m) recording the next best mark.

Following his remarkable performance at the home World Para Athletics Championships, Antil spoke to the media about multiple topics, including how it felt to set a new championship record, injuries, plans for the upcoming season and more.

Here are some excerpts from the conversation.

World Title Retained!! ⛔🇮🇳For the third consecutive edition, @sumit_javelin clinches Gold at the World Para Athletics Championships in men's javelin throw F64 event. 🥇He does with a new Championship Record throw of 71.37m.#WPAC2025 #ParaSports #SumitAntil pic.twitter.com/otTWV5IkUY

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 30, 2025

Smashing championship record

Sumit shared his first thoughts after breaking the championship record, which he had himself had previously set in 2023. “I’m quite happy about it, especially since my shoulder was quite sore when I woke up the day before. the event

“Thanks to my physio, it got better quickly, but I still felt a little weak during the warm-up throw.” However, he was glad that he could deliver the record-breaking throw in the end [fifth attempt].

He acknowledged that his initial target was the 75m, a mark he had prepared for in training, but expressed satisfaction with the outcome given the circumstances. He also noted that he would continue to work on pushing the boundaries, stating:

“We’re trying to see how far we can go as para-athletes. There’s often been a perception that para-athletes can’t throw well and we’re working to challenge that. When I started, no one believed a para-athlete could even reach 70m. Now that seems possible, and our next goal is to push it to 75-80m in the future.”

Back injury and technique adjustments to deal with it

While discussing injuries, he was asked about a back problem he had been dealing with during the Paris Paralympics last year. Despite the injury, Sumit successfully defended his Paralympic title in Paris, setting a new Paralympic record.

On being asked whether the injury affected his technique or training routine after the Games, he said:

“No, not really. I focused a lot on strengthening my core, because there’s no direct solution for my back injury, strengthening is the best way to manage it. I have made some technical adjustments as well to ensure there isn’t too much load on my back.”

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Neeraj Chopra attending his event

Two-time Olympic champion and India’s athletics superstar, Neeraj Chopra, was present in the stands at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi as Sumit Antil scripted history by defending his gold for the second successive edition.

Sumit expressed his delight on Neeraj attending the Para World C’ships. “It was great to see Neeraj Chopra, who laid the foundation for javelin throwing in India, come to watch the event.”

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What’s next?

After a successful World Championships campaign, Sumit announced the end of his season, outlining his immediate plans to address his shoulder injury and undergo an MRI.

He said, “First, I’ll get my shoulder fixed. I’ll get an MRI to see what happened and make sure everything is alright.

“Next year, I plan to start the season early since the Asian Games are coming up and I’ll need some time to prepare,” he added, discussing his upcoming season and goals.

While he didn’t specify how he would spend his off-season, he emphasized that his focus will be on healing his injuries as he was also experiencing some pain in other parts of his body. He, however, added that recovery will be his top priority.

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