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India made a strong start to its campaign at the 5th Asian Para Games 2026, clinching 11 medals, including four gold, five silver and two bronze, on the opening day to sit fourth in the overall medal standings.
Indian para-athletes impressed across disciplines, including para shooting, para athletics, para archery and para judo, delivering medal-winning performances and record-breaking feats to set the tone for the countrys campaign at the continental event. Indias opening-day highlights included a one-two finish in para shooting, a world record in para archery and another one-two finish in the mens javelin throw, underlining the countrys strong showing across multiple disciplines. India's two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar clinched gold in the men's T47 long jump at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Monday, winning the event with a best effort of 7.11m in his first international appearance in the discipline. In para shooting, Mona Agarwal clinched gold in the Womens 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 (R2), registering a score of 250.0 to establish a new Asian Para Games record. Indias Avani Lekhara secured silver with 249.6 points, ensuring a memorable one-two finish for the country in the event. The victory also secured India its second quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. Mona had earlier earned a quota place at the World Shooting Para Sport World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, last month, where she won silver. Avani also secured a quota place for the Los Angeles Paralympics with her silver-medal finish. India also witnessed a historic moment in para archery, with Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar setting a new world record in the mixed team compound ranking round. The Indian duo combined for an impressive 1,402 points, surpassing the previous world record of 1,400 points and underlining Indias growing strength in the discipline. In para athletics, Rinku Hooda won gold in the Mens Javelin Throw F46 with a best effort of 65.11 metres, while Ajeet Singh secured silver with a throw of 65.02 metres. The result delivered another one-two finish for India and added valuable medals to the countrys tally. At the 2022 Asian Para Games, India achieved a podium sweep in this event, with Sundar Singh Gurjar winning gold and setting a World Record of 68.60m, Rinku winning silver with 67.08m, and Ajeet Singh taking bronze with 63.52m. Soumya Kumar continued Indias strong showing by winning gold in the Womens 1500m T12/13 final, clocking a personal-best time of 5:12.39. Radha Venkatesh followed her compatriot across the finish line to claim silver in 5:30.90, completing another memorable result for the Indian contingent. The result was particularly significant for Radha, who had finished first in the same event at the 2022 Asian Para Games with a time of 5:19.35. However, the event was held as a non-medal competition on that occasion due to the limited number of participants. In para judo, Kokila secured a silver medal, adding to Indias growing medal count on the opening day. Kapil Parmar, meanwhile, registered an important quarterfinal victory in the Mens J1 -70kg category as he continued his campaign. 18-year-old Ravi Karthik Budigina secured silver in the men's 100m freestyle S13, clocking 56.80 seconds. While, Ravanni Valasanaini clinched the bronze medal in the Womens 1500m T11 final with a personal best time of 5:41.85. At the 2022 Asian Para Games, India secured two medals in this event, with Radha Venkatesh winning gold in 5:21.45 and Lalitha Kilaka claiming silver in 5:48.85. With four gold, five silver and two bronze medals, India ended the opening day in fourth place in the overall standings, behind China, Japan and Uzbekistan. The opening-day performance reflects the preparation, determination and competitive spirit of Indias para-athletes, who have arrived in Aichi-Nagoya aiming to deliver a strong performance against the continents best. As competition continues through October 24, India will look to build on this promising start, with its athletes targeting further podium finishes and new milestones across the remaining days of the Games. The 5th Asian Para Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from October 18 to 24, 2026, bringing together para-athletes from across Asia to compete across multiple sports. India has fielded 168 athletes across 11 sports, with the contingent aiming to make a strong impact at the continental event. (ANI)
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