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India achieved its best-ever Asian Para Games performance with 114 medals, including 30 gold, driven by record-breaking displays in athletics, badminton, and shooting.
India’s Asian Para Games stars.
India produced their best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games, finishing with 114 medals, including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze, after a record-breaking final day on Friday.
The 168-member Indian contingent surpassed its previous best of 108 medals, including 27 gold, achieved at the 2023 Hangzhou Games despite sending nearly half as many athletes this time. India stood fourth in the standings, although the final position could change after Saturday’s remaining events.
India won nine gold medals on Friday, its highest single-day tally of the competition, with para-athletes, shuttlers, archers and shooter Mona Agarwal contributing to the haul. Athletics remained the country’s biggest medal contributor, accounting for 65 medals, 12 more than in Hangzhou.
Badminton stars deliver
Badminton players shared the spotlight on the final day, with Paris Paralympic champion Nitesh Kumar and Games debutant Naveen Sivakumar winning men’s singles gold medals.
Nitesh defeated compatriot and Tokyo Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the men’s singles SL3 final. He later partnered Thulasimathi Murugesan to win silver in mixed doubles SL3-SU5.
Naveen, meanwhile, beat Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-17 to claim the men’s singles SL4 title.
Thulasimathi also won the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 gold alongside Manasi Joshi. The Indian pair defeated China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian 21-16, 21-13 in the final.
The 24-year-old Thulasimathi, a Paris Paralympics silver medallist, completed her campaign with one gold and two silver medals. She had earlier finished runner-up in women’s singles SU5, losing 18-21, 11-21 to China’s Yang.
World records in athletics
India enjoyed another successful day on the track and field, with Sandeep and Haney setting world records to win gold medals.
Sandeep clocked 52.28 seconds to win the men’s 400m T64 final, while compatriot Ajay Kumar took bronze in 53.61 seconds, setting a Games record.
Haney claimed gold in the men’s javelin throw F37/38 event with a world-record effort of 60.49 metres.
Reigning Paralympic and world champion Sumit Antil led an Indian sweep of the men’s javelin throw F42-44/61-64 combined event. His best throw of 72.46 metres secured gold, ahead of Mahendra Gurjar and Sanjay Sandeep Sargar, who recorded 59.03m and 64.48m respectively.
Gurjar finished ahead of Sargar under the classification system, which accounts for the severity and nature of athletes’ impairments.
Wheelchair athlete Pranav Soorma claimed India’s final gold of the day, winning the men’s club throw with a Games-record effort of 32.87 metres.
Nimisha Chakkungalparambil won silver in the women’s long jump T47, while Parmod Bijarnia secured silver in the men’s 1500m T46 with a time of 4:09.65.
Mona Agarwal sets world record
Indian para-shooter Mona Agarwal delivered a standout performance, setting a world record of 357.5 points to win the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 gold at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery.
It was her second gold medal of the Games. Agarwal had earlier won the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event with a Games-record score of 250.0 points. Avani Lekhara took silver with 249.6 points.
Agarwal had also secured India’s first quota place for the 2028 Paralympics earlier this year.
The SH1 classification is for shooters with lower-limb or upper-limb impairments who can support their firearm using their arms.
Harvinder leads archery charge
Paralympic champion Harvinder Singh teamed up with debutant Vijay Sundi to win the men’s doubles recurve archery gold. The Indian duo defeated China’s Yun Duo and Zhao Lixue 5-1 in the final.
India’s women’s doubles pair of Bhawna Choudhary and Pooja Jatyan settled for silver after losing 0-6 to China’s Gao Zihan and Wang Xueqian.
Swimming contingent exceeds expectations
India’s swimmers finished the competition with 11 medals, including three silver, surpassing expectations.
Himanshu Nandal completed a hat-trick of bronze medals with a third-place finish in the men’s 100m freestyle S11. The 22-year-old, who was born blind due to optic nerve failure, clocked 1:05.90 to finish behind Japan’s Uchu Tomita (58.22) and China’s Sun Chuanzhen (58.70).
Nandal had earlier won bronze in the men’s 400m freestyle and 100m breaststroke S11 events. Ravi Budigina also enjoyed a successful campaign, collecting two silver and one bronze medal.
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Ask News18India finished the Asian Para Games with a record-breaking total of 114 medals, consisting of 30 gold, 35 silver, and 49 bronze medals.
Ask News18October 24, 2026, 00:24 IST
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