The curtain is officially up on the Charléty Stadium: the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris delivered their first medals on Sunday, without success for the French Delya Boulaghlem, who marked the entry into the running of the Blues. The Lyon athletics resident, who competes in the T11 category – visual impairment – could not do better than 7th place in her long jump event, for her first Worlds at 33. A first where she “confronted at a very high level”, she declared after the competition where her best jump reached 4.38m.
In front of enthusiastic spectators – although silent during the jumps to allow the athletes to hear the indications of their guide – Delya Boulaghlem “felt the enthusiasm. Now we will have to work to give them a better show next time, ”she said. The show was offered by the Uzbek Asila Mirzayorova, crowned on Sunday and who at the same time broke the world championship record twice. Silver medalist at the Tokyo Games in 2021, the 24-year-old athlete first broke a record held since 2015 – 5.04m – by Brazilian Silvania Costa, fifth, with a jump of 5.08m. A mark improved a few minutes later to 5.13m to the delight of Mirzayorova who threw herself into the arms of her guide.
Shortly before in the morning, her compatriot Kubaro Khakimova had already offered a first medal to Uzbekistan with a second place in the shot put, in the F41 category, which includes small throwers. The event was logically dominated by the Tunisian Raoua Tlili thanks to a throw at 10.15 m. The latter, triple Paralympic champion in the discipline, was the big favorite, she who also holds the world record (10.55 m). She won her ninth world title.
In other results of the day, Colombian José Gregorio Lemos won gold in the F38 javelin throwing event, setting a world championship record. The evening session, which begins at 6.30 p.m., marks the entry into the running of other French people, in particular Ronan Pallier in the men’s long jump final (T11). Sprinter Dimitri Jozwicki will try to qualify for the 100m final (T38), as will Julien Casoli and Thibault Daurat in the 5000m (T54). The world championships will end on July 17.
