Kobe 2024: China lead super Saturday with three world records to finish on top

It was a special Saturday in the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium as world records and championship records fell left and right, especially by the Chinese athletes on the final day of the Para Athletics World Championships.

China grabbed a gold and bronze in the women’s 200m T37, as well as a better world record. Wen Xiaoyan beat her world record time from last year by 0.43 to finish in 25.75 for her fourth gold medal in Japan. Taylor Swanson of the US had a career best time 26.89 the silver, and Jiang Fenfen followed just 0.13 behind Swanson for the bronze for a career record. 

It was Xiaoyan’s second world record in five days.

“The secret [to break world records] lies in non-stop accumulation, scientific and systematic training, and a lot of brainwork, and the spirit to overcome difficulties. Also, on the track I follow the arrangements of my coach, of course,” she said. “In fact a very important tip is about mindset. Be positive and optimistic and that’s it.”

China’s Liu Cuiqing, the four-time Paralympic champion, flew past her world record time to grab the gold in the women’s 200m T11 (24.36). Her record stood for nearly five years before it was bettered in Kobe. The Brazilians, Thalita Vitoria Simplicio da Silva and Jerusa Geber dos Santos, finished second and third, respectively, in season best times. 

The men’s javelin throw F41 saw its world record fall as well on Saturday. China’s Sun Pengxiang’s second attempt of 48.9m surpassed the record he set in his home country just last October. No one came within a metre of Sun’s throw, keeping him on top of the World Championship for the fifth straight time in the event. Sadegh Beit Sayah of Iran had a career best toss of 47.92m for silver, and Navdeep of India grabbed bronze with a season best throw of 42.82m.

China was certainly not the only nation to set the bar a little higher, or, in this case, a little faster. Tunisia’s Amen Allah Tissaoui (T37) took the gold in the men’s 1500m T38, and a new world record, beating a mark that had stood for over 12 years by more than a second in a time of 3:58.31. Abdelkrim Krai of Algeria took the silver, and Deon Kenzie of Australia, who had the lead until the last 200 metres, held on for the bronze in a season best time.

Colombia’s Karen Palomeque wrapped up her time in Kobe with her second gold and fourth medal overall in the women’s 400m T38, finishing off her excellent competition with a world record. She was the lone athlete to clear one minute in Kobe with a time of 59.40. That time pushed the world record 0.34 seconds faster. Lindy Ave of Germany took the silver medal and neutral athlete Margarita Goncharova, the bronze. Ave and Goncharova were separated by just 0.02 seconds.

“I’m feeling very emotional. It’s my second World Championships and I’m taking home two golds, one silver and one bronze. So I’m very, very happy that we reached our goals,” said Palomeque.

Phenomenal Kruger

South Africa’s 19-year-old phenom Simone Kruger continued her impressive collection of titles. After setting the world record in last year’s women’s discus throw F38 in Paris, she beat that mark by 72 centimetres for another world title and a gold medal toss of 38.82m. China’s Mi Na took the silver and her countrywoman Li Yingli set a season record for the bronze.

“I was so shocked when I saw the world record because my first throw before that it was a disaster. I literally don’t know how to feel about that. And then, the second one I just wanted a mark on the board. And to see it was a world record was amazing, it just made me feel so much happier about the competition,” Kruger said.

Marlene van Gansewinkel of the Netherlands became the first woman to break the 26-second-mark in the 200m T64. Her 25.73 second sprint smashed the previous world record by 0.42 seconds, and gave her the gold to go along with her two silvers in the 100m T64 and long jump T64. Syndey Barta of the US set a new season best for the silver and fellow US American B Hatz took the bronze.

A total of seven new world records were set in Kobe on Saturday, three of them by Chinese athletes. 

It was a four-man beast of a competition in the men’s long jump T36. The defending Paralympic champion, world record and championship record holder neutral athlete Evgenii Torsunov, William Stedman of New Zealand, and Rodrigo Parreira da Silva and Aser Mateus Almeida Ramos of Brazil all finished within 15 centimetres of each other. 

Torsunov managed to come out on top with a new championship record of 5.89 metres in his final leap, bettering his record from Doha 2015 by 14 centimetres. Stedman set a new Oceania record in his final jump, hitting the sand just four centimetres back. Parreira Da Silva equaled his season best for the bronze, so Almeida Ramos finished off the podium by just one centimetre.  

Ahmad Hindi of Jordan made certain that his nation, Jordan, would not go home emptyhanded. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion in the men’s shot put F34 and the world champion from Dubai 2019 won a three-man shootout with a season best throw of 11.47m for gold. Azeddine Nouiri of Morocco took the silver with a season best 11.34m, and neutral athlete Nikita Dubenchuk won bronze in his second attempt, which flew 11.32m for a career record. 

Everyone who medaled in the men’s long jump T20 set a new season best. Malaysia’s Abdul Latif Romly, the two-time defending Paralympic champion, set the mark in his second attempt, flying for 7.30m. That was the lone jump over seven metres, plenty far enough for his third World Championship gold. Ecuador’s Roberto Carlos Chala Espinoza’s first jump put him in second place, with a leap of 6.95m, and Colombia’s Jhon Sebastian Obando Asprilla’s 6.84m jump in his final attempt was good for bronze, his second medal in Kobe.

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Impressive Simran

India’s Simran took home her country’s first ever World Championships track gold in the women’s 200m T12. Her career record time of 24.95 seconds made history. Dominican Republic’s Darlenys de la Cruz Severino took her second medal in Kobe, as she grabbed the silver. 

“I was so nervous after the 100m, heartbroken. But we decided [that in] the 200m we will win,” Simran said.
Kudratillokhon Marufkhujaev of Uzbekistan set a new career record in his first throw of the men’s discus F37, which already was enough for the gold. He tacked on another 1.7m in his last throw to take the gold with a 54.11 metre toss. Edwars Alexander Varela Meza of Venezuela claimed the silver with 52.17m, just four centimetres ahead of Japan’s Shimbo Yamato, who took the bronze.

The women’s shot put F40 saw two continental records equalled or bettered. Maryam Alzeyoudi of the United Arab Emirates tied the Asian record of 8.49m for the gold medal. Pauleth Mejia Hernandez of Mexico set a new Americas record with a 8.38m toss for the silver. World record holder Lara Baars took the bronze with her first throw of 8.33m.

Maxime Carabin of Belgium struck gold for the third time in Kobe in the men’s 1500m T52. Carabin’s time of 3:38.35, which bested the previous championship record by 1.64 seconds, was the third championship record that he set in this year’s Worlds. Tomoki Sato of Japan took the silver in 3:44.19, and Mexico’s Leonardo de Jesus Perez Juarez took the bronze in a season best time of 4:10.02. 

China’s Wang Yang, who set a new championship record yesterday to qualify for the men’s 800m T34 final, kept the pace on Saturday for the gold. Wang finished just 0.24 seconds back of his championship record for the gold. Walid Ktila of Tunisia finished with the silver and set a new African record in the process. Wang’s compatriot Gong Wenhao took the bronze.

China bagged the gold and silver in the men’s shot put F33. Cai Bingchen’s first throw was more than enough for the gold, setting a season record in the process with a distance of 11.91m. Liu Li had a career best toss of 11.68m for the silver. Morocco’s Zakariae Derhem’s second throw was just enough to get the bronze, beating out fourth place by just two centimetres.

Belgium’s Roger Habsch took gold again in the men’s 200m T51. He completed the half-lap around the track in 36.64 seconds for his third World Championship title overall. Algeria’s Mohamed Berrahal and Mexico’s Edgar Cesareo Navarro Sanchez finished with silver and bronze, respectively. While Hasch’s time beat the previous championship record by over a second, the wind was too great for it to be recognized as a championship record. 

All of Great Britain’s Aled Davies’ legal throws in the men’s shot put F63 were plenty far enough for him to stand on top of the podium. Every time Davies saw the white flag, that throw went for over 15 metres. His third throw of 15.60m set the mark. Faisal Sorour of Kuwait and Palitha Halgahawela of Sri Lanka finished in silver and bronze, with Halgahawela setting a new career best on top of the medal.

“There is always going to be pressure. I’m a six-time world champion in this event and everyone wants to beat me. I wasn’t going to sit at home and let my world title go to someone else,” said Davies, who claimed his 10th overall world title in Kobe.

Venezuela picked up its first gold medal in Kobe in the women’s 200m T47. Lisbeli Marina Vera Andrade, the defending Paralympic champion, found herself back on top with a season best time of 24.61. Brittni Mason of the US also had a season best for the silver, as did Saska Sokolov of Serbia for third.

Germany’s Johannes Floors used a final kick down the stretch to take the gold in the men’s 400m T62 in a season best time of 47.49. Hunter Woodhall of the US took the silver medal, just edging out Olivier Hendriks of the Netherlands by 0.03 seconds.

Azerbaijan’s Lamiya Valiyeva crossed the line first in the women’s 400m T13 to grab her second gold medal in Kobe. The 22-year-old set a season best time of 55.03 to defend her world title. Portugal’s Carolina Duarte set a personal record for the silver, while Rayane Soares da Silva snagged the bronze by one-hundredth of a second, which gave her medals of every kind in Kobe.

China took gold and silver in the men’s 800m T54. Dai Yunqiang took the lead in the first lap of the two-lap race and never let up to go to the top of the podium in 1:34.59. Hu Yang set a season best for the silver, as Great Britain’s Nathan Maguire grabbed the bronze.

China was far from done, as it took the top two spots in the women’s 100m T35. Two-time defending Paralympic champion and defending world champion Zhou Xia set a season record time of 14.06 to stay on top, as countrywoman Guo Qianqian also set a season best for second. India’s Preethi Pal had the race of her life, setting a career record to get the bronze.

Brazil take final gold

Leon Schaefer of Germany followed up on his gold in the men’s long jump T63 with more success in the men’s 100m T63. His 12.03 sprint set a new championship record, as well as a new European record. Puseletso Michael Mabote, a 19-year-old from South Africa, gave Schaefer all he had, finishing just 0.02 seconds behind him for the silver. Joel de Jong of the Netherlands set a new season best time to take the bronze. 

The final event of the nine days of competition had quite the drama. Francesco Loragno of Italy crossed the line first with a time of 22.97 seconds, his career best run, as several athletes tumbled to the finish line behind him. However, after the initial celebrations, Loragno was disqualified for a lane violation. 

First through fourth were decided by just 0.11 seconds. Wallison Andre Fortes of Brazil was awarded the gold with a time of 23.11. Japan’s Oshima Kengo set a career record 23.13 for second place, and Mitchell Joynt from New Zealand fell across the line in 23.15 for the bronze. 

“I am so happy because this books my ticket to the Paralympic Games. It was a great debut in the World Championships. But it was the work of the whole team, not only mine,” said Fortes, who comes from one of the regions most impacted by the heavy floods in Southern Brazil. “It was a very difficult moment to see our house hit by the rains, my parents in a difficult situation. It gave me more strenght.”

With that, the nine days full of competition in Kobe came to an end, and with all the medals given out, it was clear that the Chinese had the best time in Kobe. China won 33 gold medals and 87 in total, well ahead of all others. Brazil had its best World Championships in history, as it secured 19 gold medals and 42 in total. Uzbekistan finished with seven golds and 13 overall. Host nation Japan won 21 medals in total, the most of any nation without winning gold. 

Complete results, all medallists and records set at the Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships can be found here