The women to watch at the Para Athletics World Champs

Paralympic medallists, World Championships podium finishers, and emerging stars will take to the world stage from 27 September to 5 October. Tune in for nine days of elite talent, emotion, and rivalry at the 2025 World Para Athletics Champs.

Alice Jackson marks your card on five female athletes to watch in New Delhi.

Kare Adenegan: Great Britain (T34 100m, 800m)

The Coventry-born racer first made headlines as a teen (above) when she beat Paralympic great Hannah Cockroft at the 2018 Anniversary Games in London, and has since gone on to collect Paralympic and world medals across the 100m and 800m.

Adenegan heads into New Delhi with strong domestic form, having claimed the women’s 800m wheelchair title at the UK Championships earlier this year. Her versatility across both sprint and middle distance gives her multiple medal chances, though her GB teammate Cockroft and other international rivals will provide tough competition.

Watch Adenegan in action in the 100m (day five, 1 October) and 800m (day eight, 4 October).

Wanna Helena Brito Oliveira: Brazil (F32 shot put)

The multi-talented athlete originally started swimming in 2018, then switched to athletics at the urging of her coach at the end of 2019. In her first athletics competition, the 29-year-old not only competed, but set a national record in the F32 shot put, which was also one of the top marks in her class.

Brito goes into this World Para Athletics Championships as the defending title holder, where she broke the event record with a mark of 26.66 meters last year.

With two additional Paralympic silver medals to her name, the Brazilian para athlete will look to take top spot on the podium on day five (1 October).

Xiaoyan Wen: China (T37 sprints)

China’s Xiaoyan Wen is one of the most dominant sprinters in para athletics. Wen burst onto the global stage with a triple gold medal haul at the 2019 World Championships, a feat she repeated at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

In Kobe 2024 she underlined her talent by breaking her own world records in the 100m (12.27s) and 200m (25.75s). Heading into the World Champs, all eyes will be on whether she can extend her winning streak.

Wen will compete in three events in New Delhi:

Long jump T37 – day one (27 September)
400m T37 – day two (28 September)
100m T37 – day four (30 September)

Kumudu Priyanka: Sri Lanka (T45 long jump, sprints)

Excelling across both track and field, Priyanka’s versatility is astounding. After gaining international recognition at the 2010 Asian Para Games, where she set a 200m T45 world record, she since has clocked 12.75 seconds in the 100m T47 and achieved a long jump of 5.10 m, earning finals appearances at multiple Paralympic Games.

Priyanka begins World Championships campaign on day two (28 September) in the 100m, before taking to the 200m on day seven (3 October). She ends her campaign on the field in the long jump on day eight (4 October).

Taleah Williams: USA (T47 Long Jump)

Williams made her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 before delivering a career-defining performance at the 2017 World Championships in London, where she struck gold with a leap of 5.09 m. Williams also represented Team USA at Paris, finishing sixth in a highly competitive field.

Known for her explosive take-off and consistent progression, the Nebraska athlete arrives in New Delhi as a serious medal contender.

Williams will compete on day eight (4 October).

Watch the Para Athletics World Championships live on:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6CBAXPeBajkMlDNBOgSj48MJcPNv8W7m