Tunis GP Review: Berrahal, Gasmi and Mehideb lead impressive Algeria

Algerian athletes have sent strong warnings to their rivals ahead of September's World Para Athletics Championships, putting up impressive performances at the the three-day Tunis 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix this week.

Ahmed Mehideb, the Paris 2024 bronze medallist, claimed gold in the men’s club throw F32 with a throw of 38.36m while three-time Paralympic medallist Mounia Gasmi emerged the winner with an African record (5.70m) in the women's shot put F32.

Gasmi even went on to beat Rio 2016 gold medallist Maroua Ibrahmi, the Tunisian four-time Paralympic champion who took a gold in the women’s club throw F32 in Tunis.

London 2012 Paralympic champion Mohamed Berrahal set a new world record for the F51 class in the men's discus F51-53 event. Berrahal, who finished ninth at the Paris 2024 Games, hurled the discus to a distance of 13.66 metres in his fourth attempt to clinch the gold - breaking Chile’s Benjamin Cardenas record of 13.40m set at the Nottwil 2023 Grand Prix.

Tunis held the penultimate event of the Grand Prix series in 2025 and the last one for men competing before the New Delhi 2025 World Para Championships in September. Olomouc, Czechia will host the final GP of this year in the first-ever All-Women's Grand Prix from 3-5 July.

🇮🇳 The New Delhi 2025 World Championships will take place from 27 September to 5 October 2025 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

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The local stars

Maroua Ibrahmi, the reigning Paralympic champion in the women’s club throw F32, was joined by several other stars to win medals at home. Seven-time Paralympic champion Raoua Tlili lived up to her billing in the women’s shot put F41 as she took gold with an effort of 9.95m.

However, the home star had a devastating campaign in women's discus throw F41 having failed to get a successful throw in the event she is the Paralympic title holder. Morocco's two-time Paralympic silver medallist Youssra Karim triumphed with a throw of 30.52m. 

Five-time Paralympic champion Walid Ktila prepared for the Worlds in style - winning the men's 100m T34 race. He settled for a silver in the event in Paris 2024 and would be aiming for his fifth world title in New Delhi. 

Among other top local names, two-time world champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Yassine Guenichi captured the men's shot put F36 gold, Paris 2024 bronze medallist middle-distance runner Rouay Jebabli won the men’s 400m T12 and men's 1500m T12, respectively.

Paris 2024 gold medallist in the men's 5000m T12 Wajdi Boukhili, however, settled for silver behind Algeria’s Abdelhadi Boudra. 

Karim’s compatriot Zakariae Derhem, a Tokyo 2020 gold medallist, finished on the top of the podium in the men's shot put F33 with an effort of 10.87m.

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International names

The international winners also included current and former Paralympic medallists preparing for the upcoming World Championships. 

Cuba’s two-time Paralympic champion Robiel Yankiel Sol Cervantes achieved a leap of 7.61m in his second attempt, enough for gold in the men's long jump T46.

Paris 2024 champion Guillermo Varona Gonzalez, too, delivered as expected adding another gold from Cuba, in the men's javelin F46.

Among other Paris 2024 medallists who picked up wins in their respective events were Uzbekistan’s Bobirjon Omonov (men’s shot put F41), Kuwait’s Faisal Sorour (men's discus throw F42), Nigera’s Flora Ugwunwa (women’s discus throw F54), Japan’s Shuta Kawakami (men's 100m T13), Indonesia’s Saptoyogo Purnomo (men’s 100m T37) and Karisma Evi Tiarani (men’s 100m T42). 

Complete results from the Tunis 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix can be found here.