The Warrington sprint star, 32, qualified for the final of his T64 100m event but was unable to challenge the big guns for a spot on the podium.
After stopping the clock in a personal best 11.30s in Monday’s heat, Gladman fell short of emulating those exploits in the final as a time of 11.39s saw him finish over half a second off gold medal winner Felix Streng.
Gladman has enjoyed a rapid rise to the international stage over the last 18 months after only properly starting the sport in January last year.
And he says navigating his way through the heats took it out of him after a below-par final performance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
“I just felt a little bit flat to be honest,” he said.
“The whole warm-up and run just felt a little flat.
“I just didn’t really feel myself.
“But it was a good experience – so there’s more to come in the future I think.
“I think the heat was my final in a lot of ways – yesterday took a lot of mental tax out of me. Truthfully, it took a lot of mental tax out of me.
“Today I was trying to get myself up for it, but sometimes the body just doesn’t respond.
“It was mission accomplished on getting to the final – but sometimes it’s the stuff you can’t even verbalise [that costs you].
“But you just know that your body will be ready the next time it comes to this sort of stuff.
“It was still alright – it’s not the end of the world, so it was a great experience and we’ll see what happens next.”
Gladman is one of over 30 British athletes out in the Indian capital, with the team now sponsored by official finance partner Novuna.
The Warrington star, who trains in Leigh, got married just before flying out to New Delhi and is a web developer away from the track.
He hopes to use his experience here as a platform for progression as he targets a place at the Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Gladman added: “LA is the plan – but I’ll have a bit of time off now!
“It’s been a long season and then I’ll get back to it next year.
“The Europeans will probably be next, and then LA is the goal.
“But the first thing is getting those fast times, then competitions come after that. It will come.”
Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. From everyday goals to world-class dreams, Novuna helps millions across the UK – backing British businesses, supporting individuals’ plans, and supporting British Athletics on the global stage. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk
