Saldarriaga’s discus F38 and McFadden’s 400m T54 records headline European weekend

The weekend leading up to the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil delivered a wave of world records* across Europe. In Spain, Colombia’s Xiomara Saldarriaga set a new women’s discus F38 mark at the Meeting of L’Hospitalet, while in Switzerland, USA’s Tatyana McFadden improved her own women’s 400m T54 world record in Arbon.

L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, in the Barcelona metropolitan area, hosted the 21st edition of the Meeting of L’Hospitalet on Saturday (16 May), welcoming 200 athletes from 20 countries. The standout moment came from Saldarriaga, who became the first female F38 athlete to throw the discus beyond 39 metres.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medallist surpassed South Africa’s Paralympic and world champion Simone Krueger’s world from the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships (38.82m) with a 39.54-metre opening throw. Now, Saldarriaga is targeting the 40-metre barrier.

“I trust a lot in myself, in my coaches and in what we train for – and I believe we’re close. This event showed me that we are very close, we’re working very hard for it. Hopefully in the next events I can reach the 40 metres which would be a dream to me,” said the Colombian, who also won the women’s shot put on Saturday.

This year’s Meeting of L’Hospitalet featured 15 multiclass events, with Colombia topping the podium in eight of them. Two New Delhi 2025 world champions also claimed victories: Angie Mejia (T38) in the women’s 100m and Andreas Mosquera (F44) in the men’s discus throw. 

One of the home stars of the upcoming Notwill WPA Grand Prix, Switzerland’s Elena Krater produced a world-leading result* in the women’s long jump T63 with 5.31m. She is the New Delhi 2025 and Paris 2023 Worlds silver medallist and the Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medallist in the event.

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Meanwhile in Switzerland, some of the world’s best wheelchair racers fine-tuned their form for Nottwil at the Weltklasse am See meeting in Arbon from Friday to Sunday (15 to 17 May). Since the first edition in 2005, more than 100 world records have been set at the venue located by Lake Constance. 

The milestone 100th record came from USA’s Paralympic legend Tatyana McFadden in the women’s 400m. She clocked 50.05, slicing 0.41 off her own record set in Arbon in 2025. An eight-time Paralympic champion and 13-time world champion, McFadden set her first world record at the Swiss meeting in 2015. She also won the women’s 100m T54, 800m T54 and 1500m T53-54 this year. 

Swiss star Marcel Hug added another world record* in Arbon in the men’s 10000m T54 (19:24.64) – an event not included in the World Para Athletics Championships or Paralympic Games programme. Hug also won the 5000m T54 and took silver in the 800m T54 and bronze in the 1500m T54, both won by Tunisia’s Yassine Gharbi.

Canada’s two-time Paralympic champion and 12-time world champion Brent Lakatos secured three victories in the men’s 400m, 800m and 1500m T53. Fellow Canadian and Paris 2024 800m T34 Paralympic champion Austin Smeenk matched the feat with wins the men’s 400m, 800m and 1500m T34.

More than 450 athletes from 58 nations are set to compete at this week’s World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil from Thursday to Saturday (21 to 23 May).

*World records and results pending ratification by World Para Athletics