|
Indian para-badminton player Nitesh Kumar defeated compatriot Pramod Bhagat in an all-Indian final to win the men's singles SL3 gold medal at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Friday, while India also struck gold in men's recurve doubles in para archery and the men's singles SL4 badminton event.
Nitesh beat former Paralympic champion Pramod 21-18, 21-16 in straight games to claim the title, with Pramod settling for silver and ensuring a one-two finish for India in the SL3 category. India added another badminton gold through Naveen Sivakumar, who defeated Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-17 in the men's singles SL4 final in 36 minutes. In para archery, Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi clinched gold in the men's recurve doubles event, defeating China 5-1. After sharing the opening set 35-35, the Indian pair edged the next two sets 37-36 and 38-36 to seal the victory. Their ability to deliver under pressure proved decisive in a hard-fought final, adding another gold to Indias successful campaign. India also secured silver in the women's singles SH6 badminton final, with Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan losing 12-21, 13-21 to China's Li Fengmei. In para athletics, Nimisha Chakkungaparambil won silver in the women's long jump T47 event with a best effort of 5.37 metres. Sri Lanka's Dhananjana claimed gold with a Games-record jump of 5.52 metres. Nimisha produced her medal-winning effort in her third attempt. Earlier in the day, Parmod had also won silver in the men's 1500m T46 event, clocking 4:09.65 to retain the medal he won at the 2022 Hangzhou Para Games. India's Praveen Sharma finished fourth in the men's discus throw F11 event with a best effort of 30.64 metres, as Iran swept the podium. With the latest medals, India had reached 98 medals, comprising 24 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze, to remain fourth in the standings at the time of writing. (ANI)
|
