China claims 1-2 victory in men's 100m T11 at Para Athletics World Championships

KOBE, Japan, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China's para runners Di Dongdong and Ye Tao led the men's 100m T11 final with a one-two finish at the Para Athletics World Championships here on Thursday.

Di, 30, and his guide Lian Jiageng, pocked the gold medal with a season-best time of 11.28 seconds at the Universiade Memorial Stadium in the central Japanese port city of Kobe.

"I was not in my best condition, and I feel like I could have done better," the visually impaired athlete told Xinhua after the race despite his triumph.

His compatriot Ye, together with his guide Tian Haoyu, finished second with his personal best of 11.36s.

In the season-best time of 11.44s, Spain's Eduardo Manuel Uceda Novas claimed the bronze of the event with his guide Diego Folgado Munoz.

The Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships, held in East Asia for the first time, serve as a crucial qualifier for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The championships have attracted over 1,000 athletes from 100 countries and regions competing in 168 events.

A total of 73 Chinese para-athletes are competing in the championships, which run until May 25. Originally scheduled for 2021, the tournament was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.