All Paris gold medalists eyeing for world title

All gold medallists from Paris 2024 are returning to the stage — though some are moving up categories at the World Para Powerlifting Championships starting today in Cairo.

Venezuela’s Clara Fuentes set off a domino effect by moving from the women’s up to 50kg to the 55kg class.

In turn, Egypt’s Rehab Ahmed moved to the up to 61kg category, Nigeria’s Onyinyechi Mark switched to up to 67kg, and China’s Yujiao Tan joined Paralympic champion Mariana D’Andrea in the women’s up to 73kg class.

The other major move comes from Italy’s Donato Telesca, who shifts from the men’s up to 72kg to the 88kg division. The Paralympic bronze medallist and Dubai 2023 silver medallist will now face China’s Panpan Yan instead of Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin.

“It will be an amazing fight with this champion,” commented Telesca on World Para Powerlifting’s Instagram post about the Chinese competitor last week.

Four-time Paralympic champion and five-time World champion Amalia Pérez of Mexico will not compete in Cairo, ending a run of seven consecutive World Championships.

Her debut dates back to 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, where she claimed silver and began a streak of six consecutive World medals — broken at Dubai 2023, where she finished fourth in the women’s up to 67kg before taking bronze at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

The action begins later today with the men’s up to 80kg category, opening the Elite Championships. Iran’s Roohallah Rostami will be aiming for his third World Championships gold in what will be his seventh appearance among the elite.

Athletes will compete across 20 bodyweight categories — 10 for women and 10 for men — over seven days, followed by three team events on the final competition day.

Three categories will be contested daily, except on 17 October, when only two events take place — the women’s up to 86kg and the men’s over 107kg — with another Iranian, Ahmad Aminzadeh, defending his title.

A total of 70 National Paralympic Committees will be represented by 537 athletes — 311 men and 226 women. Most notably, all Paralympic champions from the Paris 2024 Games are competing in Cairo, marking the beginning of the qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.

Host country Egypt is fielding the largest contingent with 33 athletes, followed by Brazil (25), China (23), and India and Uzbekistan (22 each). In terms of gender representation, Brazil leads with 16 female athletes, including four Paralympic medallists from Paris 2024. Egypt dominates among men with 19 competitors.