Paralympic champion James Turner has won Australia's first gold medal of the World Para Athletics Championships, saluting in the 400m T36 event in Delhi.

It was a 12th global title for the ACT runner, who clocked a winning time of 52.18 seconds.

Russian Kirill Glazyrin, competing as a neutral para athlete in India, was just seven hundredths of a second behind in second spot. Loading Twitter content

"It hurts, but it feels good. I might have gone out a little bit too hard, but other than that, I executed pretty well," Turner said.

"I've taken back the crown. It means redeeming myself from last year and proving to my coach, all the support staff back in Canberra, my friends and family, how serious I take this and how far I'm willing to go for it."

Turner will return for the 100m T36

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