Kobe, May 20 (IANS): Ace para discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya secured a silver medal in the F56 category at the 2024 World Para-Athletics Championships here on Monday, taking to four India's medal tally in this event. Kathuniya achieved a remarkable throw of 41.80 metres, earning him second place behind Brazil’s Claudiney Batista Dos Santos, who took gold. The bronze medal went to Slovakia’s Dusan Lackzo.

The final saw an impressive start from Kathuniya, who initially led with a throw of 40.26m. However, Claudiney Batista Dos Santos surpassed him with throws of 44.10m on the second attempt and 45.14m on the fourth attempt. Kathuniya consistently improved his performance, with throws of 40.81 meters on the third attempt, 41.34 meters on the fifth, and finally 41.80 meters on the sixth attempt, securing his silver medal.

Expressing his joy, Kathuniya said, “I am very happy with my performance, and I would like to thank my coach who helped me prepare. There are a few more things I need to work on, which I will do. I also want to congratulate Claudiney and Dusan for their amazing performances. Now, my next focus is the Paris Paralympics.”

Kathuniya is the fourth Indian to win a medal in the 2024 World Para-Athletics Championships.

Nishad Kumar set the ball rolling for India by clinching a silver medal in the Men's High Jump T47 final with an impressive season-best mark of 1.99 metres. Preethi Pal then added to the tally by winning a bronze medal in the Women's 200m T35 category, bringing India's tally to two medals after Day 3 of competitions.

The 20-year-old Deepthi Jeevanji smashed the world record in the women's 400m T20 and grabbed her first gold and also India's first of the World Para-Athletics Championships. Deepthi clocked 55.07 seconds, breaking American Breanna Clark's earlier world record of 55.12 seconds, which she had set during last year's edition of the championships in Paris.