Three-time Paralympic long jump champion Vanessa Low has won back-to-back world titles for the first time in her storied career, securing gold by the narrowest of margins to lead four Australian medals as Chad Perris, Jaryd Clifford and Mali Lovell joined the podium party.
Entering the Long Jump T63 final as the world record holder and a figure who has proven unbeatable at her best, Low (ACT, Scott Reardon, T61) was forced to work for her goal of winning consecutive world titles for the first time – doing so by just four centimetres.
Leaping 5.49m (+0.5) for a championship record on her second attempt, Low heaped the pressure onto the field, but a fifth-round jump of 5.45m (+0.6) from Switzerland’s Elena Kratter provided the Australian with a scare.
“It’s a mixed bag. It was much closer than I wanted it to be, but at the same time it’s great that the girls stepped up. I didn’t quite find my rhythm and everything we practiced wasn’t quite there, but you can’t be disappointed with a win,” Low said.
“I think it was good that I didn’t jump six [metres] because I definitely can’t finish with this season. I’m looking straight towards LA [2028] at this point and really trying to push for the six metres.”
The Paralympic icon has been spurred on by the support of husband and coach Scott Reardon, and their son Matteo:
“Since I had the little one, my perspective has really changed. Whether I come home with a win or not, he actually really doesn’t care. What he sees is the effort I put in every single day, the way I show up and the way I treat people in this sport.”
It was the sweetest of silvers for Australia’s fastest Paralympian, as Chad Perris (ACT, Matt Beckenham, T13) torched the straight in 10.96 (-1.3) to return to the World Championships podium for the first time since 2019, finishing 0.05-seconds behind Japan’s Shuta Kawakami.
The race was not without drama as the field was recalled twice by the starters, before it was third time lucky as ‘The White Tiger’ roared back into global contention:
“It’s going to be a special one to savour. We’ve got such a bit and young team and I’m really proud to share this moment with all of those juniors. It’s pretty sweet being back on the podium,” Perris said.
“It was a real tough one out there tonight, we had a couple of false starts which we do a bit in training. I have to have a chat with Vanessa Low because they did the long jump introductions in between [the restarts].”
21-year-old Mali Lovell (NSW, Katie Edwards, T36) added her fourth global medal and first in the 100m T36 event to her resume with a 14.56 (-0.6) performance to clinch silver, leading a trio of Australians as Kirra Wright (VIC, Craig Chapman and Jo Kampf, T36) and Abby Craswell (QLD, Paul Pearce, T36) claimed fifth and seventh placings respectively.
“I knew it was going to be hard going into it; I learned from my first World Championships that anything can happen. I guess I just put faith in my coach and here I am!” Lovell said.
Earlier in the day, the tone was set by Jaryd Clifford (VIC, Philo Saunders, T12) who raced to bronze in the 1500m T13, returning to the global podium in a tactical affair that saw him clock 3:58.87 – the medal positions coming down to a 54-second final lap.
“I haven’t medalled in the 1500m at this level since the Tokyo Games, so it’s good to be back there. I feel like my best form should win that race and it didn’t – I didn’t get there,” Clifford said.
“I am disappointed with that but also, the real goal is LA [2028] and that’s a step forward. In my category, we only get to race these guys this year, in 2027 and then it’s the big dance – we only race these guys one more time before LA so I would rather take the gold there.”
Michal Burian (VIC, Dale Stevenson, F44) bowed out of the Javelin Throw F44 in sixth place when throwing 59.58m on his fourth attempt, battling through an untimely calf injury in the contest which was won by India’s Sandip Sanjay Sargar with a 62.82m effort.
A pair of Australian records fell to rising sprinters Jackson Love (NSW, Andrew Iselin, T35) and Samuel Allen (QLD, Stacey Taurima, T37), as Love blasted a 24.71 (-0.1) performance for eighth in the 200m T35 final, while Allen clocked 23.72 (-0.4) in the 200m T37 heats.
In the first-round action, Akeesha Snowden (SA, Lynn Larsen, T37) and Niamh Mac Alasdair (WA, Danny Kevan, T37) progressed safely to tomorrow’s 100m T37 final.
The 2025 World Para Athletics Championships are being held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, India from September 27 – October 5.
Australian viewers can tune in live and free via the Paralympic Games YouTube channel from 1:30pm AEST.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 30/09/2025
