The Moroccan athlete Aymane El Haddaoui claimed the gold medal in the 400 m (T47 category) at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi on Thursday. Having already secured a bronze in the 100 m (T47) at these World Championships, El Haddaoui further cemented his reputation as a 400 m specialist by dominating the final. He completed the race in 47.14 seconds, outpacing Brazil's Thomaz Ruan De Moraes (47.90 s) and South Africa's Collen Mahlalela (48.04 s). At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the Moroccan athlete had already made headlines by winning the gold medal in the 400 m, setting a new world record with a time of 46.65 seconds, and also clinching a bronze in the 100 m. «I am very happy to win this gold medal, the first for Morocco in these World Championships, which I dedicate to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him», he declared. «The conditions in New Delhi are challenging, with high temperatures and humidity, but we managed to rise to the occasion through hard work and determination», El Haddaoui stated to MAP. In addition to El Haddaoui's triumph, other Moroccan athletes remain in the medal hunt. Sprinter Mahdi Afri (T12) is set to compete in the 400 m final on Friday, while Hayate El Garaa and Ibtissame El Garaa (F41) will vie for the podium in the discus throw final on the same day. Zakaria Derhem (F33) will take part in the seated shot put final on Sunday. The World Para Athletics Championships, running until October 5, feature over 1,000 athletes competing in 186 medal events (101 men's, 84 women's, and one mixed), marking an increase of 15 events compared to the previous edition in Kobe, Japan, in 2024.
