'It's very emotional, a huge moment': Swati Chaudhary after historic Asian Para Games Silver

"It's very emotional, a huge moment, and I'm also really happy. I've achieved the Asian Games medal now, so I just need to do my best and keep performing," Swati told ANI after returning from Japan.

Swati won silver in the women's W1 individual event, securing India's first-ever medal in the W1 archery category at the Asian Para Games. She lost 4-6 to China's Mengkan Cen in the final.

Reflecting on the conditions in Japan, she said, "The weather was a little bit of an issue, but we just followed the process based on how our coaches trained and taught us. We gave a good performance, so everything went really well. All the facilities in Japan were great."

Swati dedicated her medal to the people who supported her throughout her journey, saying, "I want to dedicate my medal to my country, my coaches, my family, and everyone who supported me on this journey."

India won six medals in para-archery at the Games, comprising three gold and three silver, contributing to the country's record overall tally of 114 medals.

Bhawna Choudhary and Pooja Jatyan also created history by winning India's first-ever medal in the women's recurve doubles event at the Asian Para Games, securing silver.

"It was my first Asian Games, and I feel really good about winning a silver medal. There were some shortcomings, but I managed to stay focused. Will work hard for the future," Bhawna told ANI.

Pooja spoke about the personal challenges she faced while competing, highlighting the significance of the medal in her life as a single mother.

At that time, I was just thinking about what was going to happen because I'm a single mother. It was really tough for me because, either way, my life was going to change, she said.

Asked whom she wanted to dedicate her medal to, Pooja said, I'd like to dedicate this medal to my father, who's no longer with me.

Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag won silver in the women's para compound doubles event. Payal said the windy conditions in Japan made the competition challenging but expressed happiness with the result.

It was windy there, so I had to shoot taking the wind into account, and we got a silver medal. I'm still really happy with the silver, said Payal.

Payal dedicated her medal to her parents and coaches, acknowledging their support and hard work.

My mother, father and my coaches, because they've worked hard too, and they've supported me. My coaches have put in a lot of hard work. So I want to dedicate it to them and my parents, she said.

With selection trials approaching, Payal said she intended to return to training immediately rather than take a break.

I don't need to take a break right now. There are trials, so I have to practice for them, work even harder, and start practising from tomorrow. I want to win more medals in the future, said Payal.

India finished the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya with 114 medals, including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze, surpassing its previous best of 108 medals at Hangzhou in 2022. The record haul came despite India fielding a smaller contingent of 168 para-athletes, compared with 309 at the previous edition.

BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva was also present with the Archery Association of India (AAI) President Arjun Munda to welcome the para-archers at the IGI Airport in New Delhi.

Talking about the growth of sports in India, Sachdeva told ANI, All the players work hard. And our para-archers have brought back six medals, three gold and three silver. What makes me happy is that despite the circumstances these kids learn in and the challenges they fight through, they still bring home medals for the country. This is a huge achievement for them. And over the last five years, there has been a consistent positive change in mindset towards sports in India.

Our Government of India, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and all of us are working together like a team; facilities are being made available, and good competitions are happening. The result is that the players are also doing well, and I feel that now for LA Olympics 2028 and then our 2030 Commonwealth Games, we are able to prepare even better for them, he added.

Indian athletes delivered landmark performances across para-athletics, para-badminton, para-archery, shooting, table tennis and swimming, making it the country's most successful Asian Para Games campaign in terms of total medals. (ANI)