New Delhi 2025: Five female athletes to watch

Over 1,200 athletes will compete at the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, held from 27 September to 5 October in India. Among them are more than 200 Paralympic medallists and just as many World Championships podium finishers, making this one of the most competitive editions to date.

Here are five female athletes to watch in New Delhi:

Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland)

The most successful Para athletics athlete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Debrunner claimed five gold medals and one silver. The Swiss wheelchair racer has eight World Championships medals, including five golds – four of which came at her last Worlds appearance in Paris. Her achievements earned her the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award in 2023.

Debrunner’s busy schedule includes the women’s 100m T53 (day six, 2 October), women’s 400m T53 (day seven, 3 October), women’s 800m T53 (day three, 29 September), women’s 1500m T54 (day five, 1 October) and 5000m T54 (day two, 28 September).

Fleur Jong (Netherlands)

Since her breakout performance at the Paris 2023 World Championships, Jong has dominated the T64 class. She won gold in both the 100m T64 and long jump T64 in Paris, defended her titles in Kobe, and repeated her success at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Jong will compete in the women’s 100m T64 on day five (1 October) and in the women’s long jump T64 on day seven (3 October).

Magdalena Andruszkiewicz (Poland)

With frame running set to make its Paralympic debut at LA2028, Poland’s Andruszkiewicz is already a standout in the discipline. She is the reigning world champion in the 100m T72 and took silver in Paris 2023.

Her campaign begins on day two (28 September) in the 400m T72 final, followed by the 100m T72 on day four (30 September).

Long jump T64 has been her kingdom since Paris 2023 👸🏼
Will Fleur Jong keep her crown at #NewDelhi25? Can’t wait to be there and see it all unfold 🍿🇳🇱#ParaAthletics pic.twitter.com/vbPE978wNY

— Para Athletics (@ParaAthletics) August 18, 2025

Raoua Tlili (Tunisia)

Tunisia’s throwing queen will celebrate her 36th birthday on 5 October, the final day of the Championships—and she’s hoping to mark the occasion with more gold. Tlili has 11 World Championships titles (six in shot put, five in discus) and eight Paralympic golds.

She will compete in the shot put F41 on opening day (27 September) and the discus throw F41 on day seven (3 October).

Xiaoyan Wen (China)

Wen has consistently returned home from major competitions with a suitcase full of medals. At Paris 2024, she won gold in the 100m T37, 200m T37, long jump T37, and the 4x100m universal relay. She also has five Paralympic golds from Rio and Tokyo, and eight World Championships titles, including four from Kobe 2024.

Wen will compete in three individual events in New Delhi:

Long jump T37 on day one (27 September)
400m T37 on day two (28 September)
100m T37 on day four (30 September)