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New Delhi 2025: Markus Rehm leaps to eighth world title, pays tribute to coach Steffi

The German legend wins men’s long jump T64 final with a jump of 8.43 and extended his decade-long championships record by 3 cm; Dutch Fleur Jong claims second gold medal in New Delhi; Catherine Debrunner completes a clean sweep of five gold medals in five events; New Zealand’s Danielle Aitchison breaks the world record in women’s 200m T36 so does Ecuador’s Kiara Rodriguez in women’s 100m T47 and India's Nishad Kumar claims maiden world title at home on the seventh day of IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships 03 Oct 2025
An athlete after a jump
Germany’s Markus Rehm produced an incredible 8.43m jump for his eighth world title in men's long jump T64 event at New Delhi on Friday.
ⒸDean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
By AMP Media | For World Para Athletics

Germany’s Markus Rehm claimed his eighth long jump world title as he won the men’s T64 final at the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships on Friday.

The 37-year-old Para sports icon, with four consecutive Paralympic long jump gold medals to his name, produced his winning jump of 8.43 in his second attempt, extending his own championship record from Doha, Qatar, one decade ago, by three centimetres.

Derek Loccident and Jarryd Wallace made it two times United States on the podium, Loccident claiming silver with an American Record of 8.21.

In his final jump, Rehm wore a headband saying, “Thank you, Steffi”, honouring his coach Steffi Nerius in their final competition together.

“I feel incredibly happy and absolutely grateful for the nice competition today; (jumping) 8.43, I defended my title and of course, most important today, I want to thank my coach,” Rehm said.

“Steffi was my first coach and has been my coach for more than 16 years. Throughout this time, she has shaped me both as an athlete and a person.” 

New Delhi 2025: Here are the medallists from day seven

Rehm, also known as “The Blade Jumper”, hugged Nerius after the race, saying, “thank you so much for the 16 years and so many gold medals. I couldn’t do it without you.”

Nerius, a 2009 javelin world champion who claimed a silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games before becoming a coach, was happy to finish on a high.

“I’m very proud of my athlete. Sixteen years unbeaten, and today was a great competition,” she said.

“We wanted to keep the focus throughout the whole competition and therefore I’m so proud that he jumped so far – a season’s best. I’m very proud and pleased to retire now with this title. It’s perfect.”

Jong’s second in New Delhi

In the women’s long jump T64, favourite Fleur Jong of the Netherlands made no mistake as she won her third consecutive world title and second gold medal in New Delhi, having bagged a third consecutive 100m T64 gold medal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old from Purmerend in the Netherlands pulled off a new championship record of 6.81 to claim the victory by a margin of more than a metre to her teammate Kiki Hendriks in second place on 5.43. USA’s Beatriz Hatz claimed bronze with 5.38 as her teammate Annie 
Carey finished fourth with a new T44 world record of 5.20.

“I’m so happy. I was jumping so well and so far, and I couldn’t wait to get the big one,” Jong said.

“I made a foul, I’m so sorry, but I’m really proud, 6.81m is a crazy distance.”

Her best jump was 5cm off her own world record, set in June this year.

“I was (looking for the world record),” she said.

“It is a fast track – it’s a blue MONDO track. I just couldn’t wait to get out there, run as fast as my best run ever and then see what comes out.”

 

 

Nishad’s first gold 

The large crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium stayed late to watch Nishad Kumar claim his first global title and then have a go at the world record in the men’s high jump T47. The 26-year-old had won three world championships medals – two silvers and a bronze – and had two Paralympic silver medals to his name but saved his first World Championships gold medal for the best moment possible.

Favourite to the title, world record-holder Roderick Townsend of United States, with three consecutive Paralympic gold medals to his name, came into Friday’s final as the defending world champion looking for a sixth world title in the event. But the 33-year-old had to settle for a bronze this time, failing to achieve a higher jump than 2.03.

Instead, it was Turkiye’s Abdullah Ilgaz who pushed Kumar to new heights with a new European record of 2.08 that brought the emotional 27-year-old to tears afterwards. The home jumper in his characteristic sunglasses, however, flew over 2.08, 2.10 and 2.14, to the joy of the fans in the stands, as Townsend was the first to congratulate him on his first world title.

“It was a very good feeling. It was the first time in my life and his (Townsend’s) life. I had never beaten him,” Kumar said.

“I will try to keep it up. He (Townsend) is a very good jumper and a very good person. I train in the US, and he has always supported me. When I meet him at competitions, he never sees me as a competitor. He sees me as a younger brother and as a good human.”

After adding 5cm to his previous lifetime best on his 26th birthday, Kumar made three close attempts at a world record of 2.18 but saved it for another time, already having plenty to celebrate this Friday.

 

A lifetime best

Also producing a lifetime best to please the home fans with another gold medal for India, Simran Sharma brought home the victory in the women’s 100m T12 final in 11.95, beating runner-up Liang Yanfen of China by 0.16 of a second as Spain’s Nagore Folgado Garcia claimed bronze.

“I can only see one thing, that the national anthem will be played in India. That is my dream,” the 25-year-old winner said, looking for a repeat in Saturday’s 200m T12.

“I want to achieve that in 200 metres. It’s fun to run for my country." 

Sharma, who runs with guide Umar Saifi, is the defending 200m world champion. 

“My target was to give my best in every heat. So now, the same target is in 200m,” she said.

India’s six gold medals so far already match the host nation’s previous record, set in Kobe, Japan, last year.

Another birthday hero, six-time Paralympic champion Yao Juan of China turned 41 by claiming a silver medal in the women’s shot put F44. 

Her season’s best throw of 12.81 was only beaten by 17-year-old Arelle Middleton from the United States, who claimed her first world title in 12.95, having had to settle for silver medals at last year’s Paralympic Games and World Championships. Great Britain’s Funmi Oduwaiye made a career-best throw in her first attempt and won bronze.

Debrunner ends with five golds

Catherine Debrunner completed a clean sweep of five gold medals in five events in New Delhi, finishing off her unbeaten campaign in India with a clear victory in the women’s 400m T53 final.

The 30-year-old T53 world record-holder was unstoppable as she broke away from the rest of the field to cruise alone to her tenth world title in a new Championship Record of 50.58. Turkiye’s Hamide Dogangun was closest to challenging Debrunner but had to settle for a second silver medal behind Debrunner for the second time at these championships, crossing the line with a personal best of 53.72. Zhou Hongzhuan of China claimed bronze.

 

Ghavelas bounces back

Greece’s Athanasios Ghavelas has won two consecutive Paralympic men’s 100m T11 gold medals and claimed the world title in Paris 2023 but was dethroned in the last World Championship final in Kobe last year, disqualified for a tether violation as Di Dongdong of China won the gold.

Hoping to get his title back on Friday, however, the Greek 25-year-old made no mistake and led the narrow final from start to finish, claiming his second World Championship gold in 10.96. Namibia’s Ananias Shikongo came strongly in the last metres of the race, claiming silver in a new African Record-time of 11 seconds as Di had to settle for a bronze this time, crossing the line in 11.11. Germany’s Marcel Boettger finished fourth and last in 11.13, 0.17 of a second separating all four runners of the race.

Argentina’s long jump T37 Paralympic champion Brian Impellizzeri also returned to the top of the World Championships podium on Friday, having missed out on last year’s edition of the competition. The Paris 2023 world champion produced a new championship record of 6.63 as he claimed the victory, 20cm ahead of Neutral Athlete Sergei Biriukov in second place.

 

World records broken too

New Zealand’s Danielle Aitchison broke the world record on the way to winning the women’s 200m T36 gold medal. The 24-year-old finished in 27.18 to cut 0.29 of a second off her previous mark, set at last year’s World Championships in Kobe. Beating runner-up Mali Lovell from Australia by more than two and a half second, Aitchison bagged her second world title in New Delhi, adding to Tuesday’s 100m triumph.

Ecuador’s Kiara Rodriguez, who won the women’s 100m T47 gold medal on Monday, set a world record in the 200m T47 heats, making a clear statement ahead of Sunday’s final.

Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili had to settle for a bronze medal in Saturday’s shot put F41 but made up for it on Friday as she claimed the women’s discus throw F41 title with a dominant performance. The F41 world champion pulled off three throws beyond 32 metres that would all have given her the gold medal. The winning fifth attempt marked 33.81 – four metres further than Ecuadorean silver medallist Estefany Gisela Lopez Macas. Uzbekistan’s Navruza Akhmatova took the bronze with an Asian record of 28.83.

It was the Tunisian 35-year-old’s 12th World Championships gold medal, six of which have come in discus. 

Brazil hold onto lead

Para athletes from Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Iran, Poland, Thailand and Uzbekistan, as well as Neutral Para Athletes Kirill Glazyrin and Svetlana Krivenok, who triumphed in the men’s 100m T36 and women’s shot put F33 respectively, also won gold medals in the seventh day of action in New Delhi. 

With two competition days left, Brazil keep their lead in the overall medal table, with 37 podium finishes in total, including 12 gold medals. China are in second place on nine gold medals, and Poland in third place on eight. India, Thailand and Switzerland hold places four, five and six, with six gold medals each. 

If Swiss superstar Debrunner were an own country, it would hold place number 11 in the overall standings.

Related Topics

Athletics
Markus Rehm
Fleur Jong
Catherine Debrunner
Nishad Kumar
Simran
Raoua Tlili
Athanasios Ghavelas
Danielle Aitchison
Rodriguez Kiara

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