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India started the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games strongly, winning six medals including three gold in athletics on Monday.
Nishad Kumar (PCI)
India enjoyed a strong start to the athletics competitions at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, winning six medals, including three gold, on Monday. Nishad Kumar, Rinku Hooda and Soumya emerged as the country’s gold medallists, while Indian athletes also secured two silver and a bronze at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
India finished second in the athletics medal standings on the opening day, behind hosts Japan, who collected eight medals comprising three gold, three silver and two bronze.
Nishad opened India’s gold-medal account with victory in the men’s long jump T47 event, delivering an impressive performance on his competitive debut in the discipline. The 27-year-old recorded a best effort of 7.11 metres, achieving the distance in both his third and fifth attempts.
The two-time Paralympic silver medallist had previously won gold in the high jump T47 event at the Asian Para Games in China. He will return to action in his specialist discipline on Tuesday, with the prospect of adding another gold to his tally.
Uzbekistan’s Omadbek Khasanov secured silver with a jump of 6.99m, while Sri Lanka’s Mohammadu Safran took bronze at 6.55m. The T47 category is designated for athletes with upper-limb impairments.
Nishad lost his right arm in a grass-cutting machine accident when he was six years old, while helping his farmer father at their family farm in Badaun village in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district. He began pursuing high jump in 2009 after initially trying wrestling and athletics, and made his international debut at the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games, where he won gold.
His achievements also include four medals at the World Para Athletics Championships: gold in 2025, silver in 2023 and 2024, and bronze in 2019.
Nishad’s participation in the long jump came as a surprise to those around him. According to Indian para-athletics chief coach Satyanarayana, the athlete kept his plans under wraps until the selection trials in Bengaluru in May, when he entered the event alongside his regular high jump discipline.
“Yes, he did not tell anybody that he also wants to compete in long jump. But he has the ability to win gold in long jump, that was why we accepted his plan,” Satyanarayana told PTI.
“We are hoping that he can even become a double gold medallist in a single Paralympics at the 2028 LA Games,” he added.
Soumya, Radha Secure India’s 1-2 Finish
India’s second gold came through 18-year-old Soumya, who won the women’s 1500m T12/T13 event on her Asian Para Games debut. Her compatriot Radha Venkatesh finished second, giving India a one-two finish.
Soumya clocked 5 minutes and 12.39 seconds, while Radha finished in 5:30.90. Both athletes competed with guides, with Kumar Bharath accompanying Soumya and Govind Solanki guiding Radha.
Japan’s Mana Sasaki recorded a faster time of 5:12.15 but finished third under the combined T12/T13 points system used to determine the final standings. The two classifications were combined because of the number of competitors in the individual events.
The T11, T12 and T13 categories cover athletes with visual impairments, with T11 representing the most severe impairment and T13 the least severe among the three classifications.
Soumya, who hails from Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district, trains at the Indian Athletic Academy in Bengaluru. She had also won gold at the Asian Youth Para Games last year and at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi earlier in 2026.
India also secured a bronze in the women’s T11 category through Ravanni Valasanaini. She moved onto the podium after the original third-place finisher, Rakshitha Raju, was disqualified for a technical violation relating to competition clothing, footwear or bib requirements.
Rinku Edges Ajeet By Nine Centimetres
India’s third gold of the day came from Rinku Hooda in the men’s javelin F46 event, where he edged compatriot Ajeet Singh by just nine centimetres to complete another Indian one-two finish.
Rinku, 27, produced a throw of 65.11m to claim the title, while Ajeet registered 65.02m for silver. Indonesia’s R Saktyono took bronze with a best effort of 55.30m in the three-man competition.
The F46 classification covers athletes with certain upper-limb impairments, including a single above- or below-elbow amputation.
Rinku lost his left arm at the age of three after it became trapped in a machine used for sowing paddy. Despite the accident, he continued to participate in sports, competing in school-level running events while also helping his father with farm work.
He was introduced to javelin by fellow Indian para-athlete Amit Kumar Saroha, who has mentored and coached several young athletes. Rinku won gold at the 2015 Youth Asian Games before claiming silver at the World U20 Para Athletics Championships in Switzerland in 2016.
He subsequently finished fifth at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, aged just 18. After winning another silver at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, he qualified for the Paris Paralympics in 2024, where he again finished fifth.
His gold in Aichi-Nagoya, alongside Nishad’s long jump triumph and Soumya’s victory on her debut, gave India an encouraging start to its para-athletics campaign.
(With PTI Inputs)
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Ask News18India enjoyed a strong start at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, winning six medals including three gold, two silver, and a bronze in athletics on Monday. Overall, across multiple disciplines on Day 1, India clinched a total of 11 medals.
Ask News18October 19, 2026, 16:47 IST
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