Very excited to feature in World Para Athletics Championship at home, says Sumit Antil
New Delhi, Sep 12 : Two-time Paralympics champions Sumit Antil has expressed his excitement at competing in the upcoming World Para Athletics Championships, to be held in the city from earlier this month, adding that his preparations have been going very well to put his best foot forward in the competition.
The iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi will be the host for 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, set to take place from September 27 to October 5. The 12th edition of the world championships will be the largest Para sport gathering ever hosted in India.
“I am very excited for this time, as it happening in front of my people. Plus, this is my stadium and my home ground. I started my para sports career from JLN stadium. I am very excited to compete here with world-class athletes. My preparation is going very well. I hope that I will do well in the upcoming tournament,” said Antil in a conversation with IANS on Friday, on the sidelines of PlayCom 2025 summit.
Talking about sharing his thoughts in front of a big audience, Antil said, “It was a very good experience. I shared my journey with people here. I hope that our junior athletes will get inspiration from this journey. I hope they will also get some guidance for (performing well in) the tournaments.”
The inauguration of the blue-coloured Mondo track, installed in a stadium in India for the first time, at the venue has added more sheen to the upcoming marquee competition.
Antil firmly believes seeing a global competition at home will help young para sports persons in learning about the elite-level preparation and performance standards of top-level athletes.
“Of course, you get to see your family and friends. But I think it will be a learning experience for our junior athletes, who would be seeing the competition. There are so many things that athletes can learn from seeing the elite athletes in action.”
“Our junior athletes will get inspiration from this. They will also get guidance on how to control their nervousness in upcoming international tournaments. They will learn a lot from this,” he added.
(IANS)
