327 Para Athletes Compete in Colombia's Grand Prix Finale

When the starting gun fires in Cali this week, 327 para athletes will sprint, jump, and throw their way into the record books at Colombia's biggest athletic event of the year.

The World Para Athletics Grand Prix finale runs from September 17 to 20 at the Estadio Internacional de Atletismo Pedro Grajales. Athletes from 26 nations across four continents will compete in the season's final showdown.

Colombia is bringing its largest team ever with 66 athletes, and the home crowd has plenty of reasons to cheer. Karen Palomeque, who won two gold medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, will compete on her home turf after breaking the women's 400m T38 world record earlier this year with a time of 56.60 seconds.

The 32-year-old sprint champion isn't the only Colombian to watch. Teenager Angie Nicoll Mejia, just 17 years old, shocked fans when she beat Palomeque in the 100m T38 at the Para South American Games in July, setting up what could be an electric rematch in Cali.

Costa Rica's Sherman Guity brings serious momentum after equaling the men's 100m T64 world record at 10.61 seconds during the Tlaxcala Grand Prix in July. The three-time Paralympic champion leads an eight-member Costa Rican squad hungry for more medals.

Ecuador's Kiara Rodriguez arrives as one of the most decorated athletes in the field. The two-time Paris 2024 champion swept three gold medals at the Para South American Games and holds world records in both the 200m T46 and long jump T46.

The Ripple Effect

Last year's Cali Grand Prix marked the return of this prestigious competition to South America after a six-year absence. Athletes set four world records and three regional records, inspiring a new generation of para athletes across Latin America.

The success has already created lasting impact beyond the track. Colombia more than doubled its team size from last year, and the event has become a launching pad for young athletes like Mejia, who are proving that age is just a number when it comes to breaking barriers.

This year's competition brings together Paralympic gold medalists from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, world champions from three different continents, and emerging talents who are rewriting what's possible. Mexico's Gloria Zarza Guadarrama, Cuba's Guillermo Varona Gonzalez, and Argentina's Brian Lionel Impellizzeri add even more star power to an already stacked field.

For four days, Cali becomes the center of the para athletics world, proving that when you bring together the best athletes from across the globe, everybody wins.