Cali 2026 Grand Prix: Preview and stars to watch at season finale

The World Para Athletics Grand Prix season reaches its finale in Cali, Colombia, where 327 athletes, including reigning Paralympic and world champions, will compete from 17 to 20 September.

The Cali 2026 WPA Grand Prix, the second event to be hosted in Latin America after Tlaxcala, will be contested by 204 male and 123 female athletes from 26 nations over four days of action at the Estadio Internacional de Atletismo Pedro Grajales.

It will be the second consecutive year that Cali has staged a World Para Athletics Grand Prix after the 2025 debut, which marked the return of the GP to South America after six years. Last year's edition saw four world records and three regional records broken alongside plenty of remarkable performances.

Cali will also bring the curtain down on the 13th season of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix following a campaign that has taken athletes across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Home stars

As with most previous Grand Prix, the spotlight will be on host nation Colombia, which has entered the largest contingent with 66 athletes – 43 men and 23 women – led by several stars. 

Paris 2024 double champion and six-time world champion Karen Palomeque Moreno will spearhead the home challenge in Cali, having already claimed two gold medals at last year's Grand Prix. 

The 32-year-old returns to compete at home fresh from her record-breaking form at the Para South American Games in Valledupar in July, where she set a new world record in the women’s 400m T38, crossing the finish line in 56.60 seconds.

The reigning Paralympic champion in the women’s 100m and 400m T38 also improved her own 200m T38 world record to 24.98 while retaining the world title in New Delhi. 

Last stop of the season in Cali starting Thursday! 🇨🇴

Over 300 athletes coming from all four corners of the globe, this is shaping up to be the perfect way to wrap up the Grand Prix season! 🎬#ParaAthletics pic.twitter.com/ZGzP8p9GGE

— Para Athletics (@ParaAthletics) September 14, 2026

In Cali, she will be joined by New Delhi 2025 world champion Levin Moreno Denis, who will be another leading name in Colombia’s strong contingent.

Moreno Denis produced one of Colombia’s standout performances at last year’s Worlds when he threw 20.38m to win the men’s shot put F38 gold, breaking the previous world record held by compatriot Jose Gregorio Lemos Rivas.

Teenager Angie Nicoll Mejia, the women’s 100m T38 world champion at New Delhi 2025, will be another athlete to watch for the home team. The 17-year-old’s surprise victory over Palomeque in the women’s 100m T38 race at the Para South American Games in Valledupar earlier this season has raised hopes of another exciting sprint contest in Cali.

Among men, reigning Paralympic champion Jhon Obando will be the favourite to win the men's 400m T20 gold after his victory at Valledupar 2026. He will also be competing in men’s long jump T20, an event in which he claimed a bronze medal at Paris 2024.

Strong Americas presence

Besides the star-studded home line-up, several leading athletes from across the Americas will add to the excitement at the season-ending Grand Prix.

Costa Rica’s Sherman Guity will one of the leading stars in Cali as he looks to cap another successful Grand Prix. He will lead an eight-member Costa Rican team.

The three-time Paralympic champion and Kobe 2024 world champion enjoyed an outstanding campaign at the Tlaxcala Grand Prix in July, equalling the men’s 100m T64 world record with a time of 10.61 seconds before adding a victory in the 200m.

From Paris 2024 to New Delhi 2025, same podium, same energy for the Women’s Long Jump T47! 🔄🙌

Petra, Kiara & Bjoerk, so much more than a rivalry on the track 🫶#ParaAthletics pic.twitter.com/46jpc1PfV2

— Para Athletics (@ParaAthletics) August 19, 2026

Ecuador will be represented by 27 athletes, with Kiara Rodriguez the biggest name in their line-up. The two-time Paris 2024 Paralympic champion arrives in Cali following a hat-trick of titles at Valledupar 2026 and is entered in the women’s 100m T46, 200m T46 and long jump T46.

Rodriguez holds the world record in the women's 200m T46 and long jump T46 and is the reigning world champion in all three of her events. Earlier this year, she was nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards following her achievements in 2025.

Mexico have also arrived with several established names in their squad, led by Paris 2024 Paralympic champion Gloria Zarza Guadarrama. 

Zarza Guadarrama, who also claimed the world title at Kobe 2024, is entered in the women’s shot put F54 – the event in which she won her first Paralympic gold at Paris 2024 after taking silver at Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Jose Rodolfo Chessani Garcia adds further experience to the Mexican team. Chessani Garcia, who won the men’s 400m T38 title in Tokyo, is entered in both the men’s 100m T38 and 400m T38 in Cali.

World Para Athletics Grand Prix calendar confirmed for 2027 🫡

The GP will return in 2027 with an eight‑stop season spanning four continents, offering athletes a crucial competitive pathway in the build‑up to the Tashkent 2027 World Championships.

🔗 https://t.co/ObvtHzf3rt pic.twitter.com/sMw6EvRtYY

— Para Athletics (@ParaAthletics) July 20, 2026

More stars

Argentina will look to Paris 2024 champion Brian Lionel Impellizzeri for another strong performance. Impellizzeri will compete in the men’s long jump T37, the event he claimed the Paralympic gold in 2024.

Among other stars, Cuba's Guillermo Varona Gonzalez, the Paralympic gold medallist and Kobe 2024 world champion in men's javelin F46, will be another star to watch out for in Cali.

Varona Gonzalez will be joined by Yamel Luis Vives Suares, the Paralympic silver medallist in the men’s 100m T44, and Ulicer Aguilera Cruz, who won bronze in the men’s javelin F13 at Paris 2024 and silver at the New Delhi 2025 World Championships.

Complete results from the Cali 2025 Grand Prix can be found here.