Mighty Mali wins second silver at World Para Championships

Paralympic sprinter Mali Lovell has blazed her way around the bend and onto with podium with a second silver medal in New Delhi, adding the hardware to her growing resume to lead the Australian action on Day Seven of the World Para Athletics Championships.

The 21-year-old Lovell (NSW, T36) torched the track to stop the clock in 29.69 (+1.0), building upon her 100m T36 silver earlier in the program and finishing behind only New Zealand’s Danielle Aitchison who set a new world record of 27.18-seconds.

Lovell, a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete, pushed herself to the limit, falling in the metres after the finish line with the silver locked away:

“I was just trying to go as fast as I can and that’s what I basically did. Everything is just surreal and it feels so good to be on the podium. It’s close to a PB, so I’m really happy,” Lovell said.

Pumping Taylor Swift’s new album pre-race, the Paralympic sprinter was ready for action:

“I love Taylor and I love her new album,” she said. “It’s so good!”

Long jumper Sarah Walsh (ACT, T64) leapt to fifth place and a season’s best of 5.14m (-0.9) in the Long Jump T64, breaking through a frustrating series with her sixth and final jump to salvage a result to be proud of.

“The first five jumps weren’t really what I wanted to come out here and do today. You just have to let loose and rip in, and that’s what I did,” Walsh said.

“You always kind of leave wanting more, knowing that medals and higher positions were in reach, but we are building towards LA [2028] and it’s a step in the right direction.” 

14-year-old Makayla Elcoate (QLD, T44) finished in 10th place with a 4.04m leap, adding another event to her school holiday program in New Delhi. 

Earlier in the day, Paralympic champion James Turner (ACT, T36) was forced to settle with one gold for the championships, unable to back up his 400m T36 heroics when finishing in seventh place of the 100m T36.

Elsewhere, 14-year-old Lexie Brown (NSW, T47) set her second personal best of the championships with a swift run of 26.87 (-0.1) in the 200m T47 heats, while Jackson Love (NSW, T35) and Jordan Fairweather (VIC, T35) both progressed to tomorrow’s 100m T35 final with times of 12.34 (+1.0) and 12.78 (+1.0) respectively.

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.

Australian Athletics