The 2025 World Para Athletics Championships are all set to begin this weekend in New Delhi and there is plenty of hope within the Indian contingent that they can make their home world championships the best they've ever had.
The profile of para sport, particularly para-athletics, has been rising prolifically. It was in para-athletics that India won 17 of the 29 medals that they won at the Paris Paralympics last year. That was preceded by the Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe, where India had won 17 medals as well.
As the India contingent heads into a World Championship at home, here's a look at the top medal prospects to watch out for.
Sumit Antil - men's javelin F64
Sumit Antil is one of India's greatest para-athletes of all time. A serial world record-breaker, he is a two-time defending Paralympic champion, and obviously by far the best javelin thrower in his category.
Since his world record and gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, where he broke the world record three times in the men's javelin F64 final (for athletes who compete with a prosthetic lower limb), Sumit has gone on to shatter those marks time and again. Currently, his mark of 73.29m, set at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023, is the world record.
He was visibly disappointed with his effort at the Paris Paralympics where despite winning gold, he was furious with himself for not being able to break the world record again.
Dharambir Nain - men's club throw F51
Dharambir Nain is another serious contender for a gold medal in New Delhi next week and has also been given the honour of being one of India's flag-bearers at the opening ceremony.
The defending Paralympic champion in men's club throw F51 (for athletes who compete in throwing events while being seated), Dharambir's biggest challenge will come from his compatriot Pranav Soorma, who only narrowly finished second at the Paralympics last year. Dharambir's margin of victory in that final in Paris was just 33cm but having ascended to the top at the biggest stage, he will be confident of once again reigning supreme in his event.
Preeti Pal - women's 100m and 200m T35
Accompanying Dharambir as India's flagbearer at the opening ceremony will be Preeti Pal, who was the only Indian athlete to win multiple medals at the Paris Paralympics. She took part in the women's 100m and 200m T35 (for athletes who are able to walk, but have impairments in coordination) events on her Paralympics debut. She will have hopes of a double medal, and perhaps even going a step or two higher on the podium than she managed in Paris.
Praveen Kumar - men's high jump T64
Praveen Kumar in the men's high jump T64 (for athletes with a single-leg amputation), is another of India's athletes who won gold at the Paralympics last year, having jumped 2.08m in the final. This followed a silver at the Tokyo Paralympics three years prior.
Praveen is also a World Championship medallist but has never won gold, in three previous times of asking. He will be looking to complete the set of big gold medals when he takes the field at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium over the next week.
Simran Sharma - women's 100m and 200m T12
Simran Sharma is another of India's sprinters on whom plenty of eyes will be when she competes at these World Championships in the T12 category (for visually-impaired athletes).
She was the bronze medal winner in the women's 200m T12 at the Paris Paralympics and finished fourth in the 100m. The 200m, though, is where she does excel, having also gold at the Kobe World Championships last year.
Alongside Preeti, Simran and Deepthi Jeevanji are expected to be the Indian women athletes in serious contention to win medals at these world championships.
Navdeep Singh - men's javelin F41
In the men's javelin F41 (for short-statured athletes), Navdeep Singh catapulted himself into national reckoning with the Paralympics Gold in 2024 in Paris. He had thrown a personal best effort of 47.32m with his third throw in that final. As it stood, it wasn't enough to finish top by the end of the competition - Navdeep was second.
However, he was retrospectively upgraded to the gold medal after Iran's Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for 'unsporting or improper conduct'. Navdeep was a bronze medallist at the World Championships and will hope to upgrade that in front of his home crowd.