Asian Para Games: India surpass 2022 tally, set new record with 114 medals, 30 gold

India's para-athletes surpassed all expectations to deliver their best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games, finishing their campaign with a record haul of 114 medals, including 30 gold, after a stunning final-day flourish on Friday.

In Short

• India scripted history at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, surpassing its previous best
• The Indian contingent collected 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals in Nagoya
• The latest tally in Nagoya took the country's gold medal count beyond previous best

India's para-athletes produced their finest campaign at the Asian Para Games, finishing with a record 114 medals, including 30 gold, after a remarkable final day in Nagoya on Friday. Nine gold medals on the final day took India's tally beyond its previous best at the continental event.

India had sent a 168-member contingent to the Games, nearly half the size of the team that competed in Hangzhou in 2023. The Indian team had returned from that edition with 108 medals, including 27 gold, but raised the bar in Nagoya with 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals.

Asian Para Games Oct 23: Highlights

India were placed fourth in the standings at the end of their campaign, although their final position could change as some events were scheduled to conclude on Saturday. The Indian contingent did not have athletes competing in those remaining finals.

Para-athletics once again led India's medal charge, accounting for 65 medals, 12 more than the tally in Hangzhou. However, the final day saw athletes from badminton, shooting and archery make significant contributions, ensuring that India's record haul was not driven by athletics alone.

The Indian team collected gold medals across four sports on Friday, with several performances standing out for the records they produced. Para-shooter Mona Agarwal delivered a world-record performance, while para-badminton players Nitesh Kumar, Naveen Sivakumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan added to India's gold medal count.

In athletics, Sandeep and Haney set world records in their respective events, while reigning Paralympic and world champion Sumit Antil led an Indian sweep in the men's javelin throw. Pranav Soorma also delivered a Games-record performance in the men's club throw.

INDIA'S ASIAN PARA GAMES: MEDALS BY SPORT

• Para athletics: 22 gold, 19 silver, 24 bronze, 65 total
• Para swimming: 0 gold, 3 silver, 8 bronze, 11 total
• Para table tennis: 0 gold, 0 silver, 7 bronze, 7 total
• Para shooting: 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, 5 total
• Para judo: 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
• Para powerlifting: 0 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
• Para archery: 3 gold, 3 silver, 0 bronze, 6 total
• Para badminton: 3 gold, 5 silver, 8 bronze, 16 total

Overall tally: 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals, giving India a total of 114 medals.

NITESH, NAVEEN LEAD INDIA'S BADMINTON CHARGE

Para-badminton played a major role in India's final-day push, with Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar winning their respective men's singles titles. Thulasimathi Murugesan also enjoyed a productive day, finishing the competition with one gold and two silver medals.

Nitesh, the Paris Paralympic champion, defeated compatriot and Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the men's singles SL3 final. The 31-year-old got the better of Bhagat in an all-Indian final before returning to the court for the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event with Thulasimathi. The pair had to settle for silver.

Naveen, meanwhile, made an impressive start to his Asian Para Games career. Competing in his debut edition, he defeated Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-17 in the men's singles SL4 final to claim gold.

Thulasimathi completed her campaign with a gold medal in women's doubles SL3-SU5, alongside Manasi Joshi. The pair defeated China's Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian 21-16, 21-13 in the final.

The 24-year-old, a silver medallist at the Paris Paralympics, had earlier finished second in the women's singles SU5 event. She lost 18-21, 11-21 to Yang Qiuxia in the final before returning to win the doubles title.

SUMIT ANTIL LEADS INDIAN JAVELIN SWEEP

India's para-athletes continued to deliver on the track and field, with Sandeep and Haney setting world records in their respective events. Sumit Antil also produced another commanding performance, leading an Indian sweep in the men's javelin throw F42-44/61-64 combined event.

The reigning Paralympic and world champion won gold with a best throw of 72.46 metres. Mahendra Gurjar and Sanjay Sandeep Sargar completed the podium, making it an all-Indian finish.

Gurjar registered a throw of 59.03 metres, while Sargar managed 64.48 metres. Despite Sargar recording the longer distance, Gurjar finished ahead of him because of the classification system, which takes into account the severity of an athlete's disability.

Sandeep delivered one of the standout performances of the day in the men's 400m T64 final. He clocked 52.28 seconds to win gold with a world-record performance. India's Ajay Kumar took bronze in 53.61 seconds, setting a Games record.

Haney also set a world record on his way to gold in the men's javelin throw F37/38 final. He produced a throw of 60.49 metres to finish on top of the podium.

Pranav Soorma secured another gold for India in the men's club throw, winning with a Games-record effort of 32.87 metres.

India also collected two silver medals in athletics through Nimisha Chakkungalparambil and Parmod Bijarnia. Nimisha finished second in the women's long jump T47, while Parmod took silver in the men's 1500m T46 after clocking 4:09.65.

MONA BREAKS WORLD RECORD FOR SECOND GOLD

Mona Agarwal was among India's biggest performers in shooting, producing a world-record score to win the women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event.

Agarwal shot 357.5 at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery to claim her second gold medal of the Games. The performance added to a campaign in which she had already secured a place for India at the 2028 Paralympics by earning the country's first quota in the sport earlier this year.

The SH1 category in Paralympic shooting is for athletes with lower-limb or upper-limb impairments who can support the weight of the firearm with their own arms.

Agarwal had earlier won gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, recording a Games-record score of 250.0. Avani Lekhara finished second with 249.6 points to take silver, giving India a one-two finish.

HARVINDER, VIJAY SECURE ARCHERY GOLD

Armless archer Sheetal Devi won two gold medals in less than two hours to reaffirm her credentials, while the track-and-field contingent remained the biggest contributor to India's medal tally, which swelled to 88 at the Asian Para Games on Thursday. India's archers also contributed to the medal rush, with Paralympic champion Harvinder Singh teaming up with debutant Vijay Sundi to win the men's doubles recurve title.

The Indian pair defeated China's Yun Duo and Zhao Lixue 5-1 in the final to claim gold, with Harvinder and Sundi combining effectively to secure the top finish. India's women's doubles team had to settle for silver. Bhawna Choudhary and Pooja Jatyan lost 0-6 to China's Gao Zihan and Wang Xueqian in the final.

SWIMMERS FINISH WITH 11 MEDALS

India's swimming contingent also exceeded expectations, finishing the Games with 11 medals, including three silver.

Himanshu Nandal added another bronze to his collection on the final day, finishing third in the men's 100m freestyle S11. The 22-year-old, who was born blind due to optic nerve failure, clocked 1 minute and 5.90 seconds.

Japan's Uchu Tomita won the race in 58.22 seconds, while China's Chuanzhen Sun took silver in 58.70 seconds.

Nandal's latest podium finish completed a hat-trick of bronze medals in Nagoya. He had earlier finished third in the men's 400m freestyle and 100m breaststroke S11 events.

Ravi Budigina also enjoyed a successful campaign, collecting three medals, including two silver and one bronze.

ATHLETICS REMAINS BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR

Para-athletics accounted for 65 of India's 114 medals, an increase of 12 from the 2023 edition in Hangzhou. The sport remained the biggest contributor to India's tally, even as badminton, shooting and archery made their presence felt on the final day.

The performances in Nagoya reflected the depth of India's para-sport programme, with established Paralympic champions joined by athletes making their mark at the continental level.

India finished with 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals, surpassing its previous best of 108 medals from Hangzhou. The team also improved on its gold medal count of 27 from the 2023 edition.

The nine gold medals won on Friday gave India its biggest single-day gold haul of the ongoing Games. World records, Games records and an all-Indian podium in the javelin highlighted a strong finish to the campaign.

FULL LIST OF INDIAN MEDAL WINNERS

PARA ATHLETICS

• Gold: Nishad Kumar, men’s long jump T47
• Gold: Soumya, women’s 1500m T12/T13
• Bronze: Ravanni Valasanaini, women’s 1500m T11
• Gold: Rinku, men’s javelin throw F46
• Silver: Ajeet Singh, men’s javelin throw F46
• Silver: Pradeep Kumar, men’s javelin throw F53/F54
• Bronze: Ayush Verma, men’s javelin throw F53/F54
• Bronze: Praveen Sharma, men’s shot put F11
• Gold: Deepthi Jeevanji, women’s 400m T20
• Gold: Pranav Soorma, men’s discus throw F51/F52/F53
• Silver: Ram Ratan Singh, men’s discus throw F51/F52/F53
• Gold: Devender Kumar, men’s discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64
• Silver: Rakesh, men’s discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64
• Bronze: Pardeep Kumar, men’s discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64
• Gold: Nishad Kumar, men’s high jump T47
• Silver: Preeti Pal, women’s 200m T35
• Gold: Simran, women’s 200m T12
• Bronze: Tejalben Damor, women’s 200m T12
• Bronze: Hokato Hotozhe Sema, men’s shot put F56/F57
• Gold: Praveen Kumar, men’s high jump T64
• Silver: Banti, men’s high jump T64
• Silver: Manjeet, men’s javelin throw F12/F13
• Gold: Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, men’s shot put F46
• Silver: Mohd Yasser, men’s shot put F46
• Gold: Ayush Verma, men’s shot put F53
• Silver: Bhagyashri Jadhav, women’s shot put F34
• Bronze: Anubhav Choudhary, men’s 100m T35
• Bronze: Rakeshbhai Bhatt, men’s 100m T37
• Bronze: Parveen, men’s shot put F46
• Gold: Dilip Mahadu Gavit, men’s 100m T47
• Silver: Mohammed Morssinganakath, men’s 100m T47
• Silver: Akira Banothu, men’s 400m T35/T38
• Bronze: Pranav Desai, men’s 100m T64
• Silver: Preeti Pal, women’s 100m T35
• Gold: Simran, women’s 100m T12
• Bronze: Sukhchain, men’s javelin throw F55
• Bronze: Ravi Rongali, men’s shot put F40
• Bronze: Karamjyoti, women’s discus throw F55
• Bronze: Sharath Makanahalli, men’s 1500m T12/T13
• Bronze: Haney, men’s discus throw F37
• Bronze: Shailesh Kumar, men’s long jump T42/T61/T63
• Silver: Tejalben Damor, women’s 400m T12
• Gold: Anjanaben Bumbadiya, women’s 400m T47
• Silver: Jayanti Behera, women’s 400m T47
• Gold: Shailesh Kumar, men’s high jump T63
• Silver: Varun Singh Bhati, men’s high jump T63
• Bronze: Rahul, men’s high jump T63
• Gold: Dilip Mahadu Gavit, men’s 400m T47
• Gold: Solairaj Dharmaraj, men’s long jump T44/T62/T64
• Bronze: Ravanni Valasanaini, women’s 400m T11
• Gold: Sandeep Kumar, men’s 400m T64
• Bronze: Ajay Kumar, men’s 400m T64
• Silver: Nimisha Chakkungalparambil, women’s long jump T47
• Silver: Parmod, men’s 1500m T46
• Gold: Haney, men’s javelin throw F37/38
• Bronze: Navdeep, men’s javelin throw F40/F41
• Bronze: Rakeshbhai Bhatt, men’s 100m T37
• Bronze: Sandeep, men’s 100m T44
• Gold: Sumit Antil, men’s javelin throw F42-F44/F61-F64
• Silver: Mahendra Gurjar, men’s javelin throw F42-F44/F61-F64
• Bronze: Sanjay Sargar, men’s javelin throw F42-F44/F61-F64
• Gold: Pranav Soorma, men’s club throw F51
• Bronze: Dharambir Nain, men’s club throw F51

PARA SWIMMING

• Silver: Ravi Karthik Budigina, men’s 100m freestyle S13
• Bronze: Himanshu Nandal, men’s 400m freestyle S11
• Bronze: Niranjan Mukundan, men’s 200m individual medley SM7
• Bronze: Ravi Karthik Budigina, men’s 50m freestyle S13
• Bronze: Himanshu Nandal, men’s 100m breaststroke SB11
• Bronze: Rohit Kumar, men’s 100m breaststroke SB4
• Silver: Kapil Kumar, men’s 400m freestyle S10
• Bronze: Swatik Patil, men’s 100m breaststroke SB9
• Silver: Ravi Karthik Budigina, men’s 100m backstroke S13
• Bronze: Tejas Nandakumar, men’s 100m backstroke S7
• Bronze: Himanshu Nandal, men’s 100m freestyle S11

PARA SHOOTING

• Gold: Mona Agarwal, women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1
• Silver: Avani Lekhara, women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1
• Silver: Manish Narwal, men’s 10m air pistol SH1
• Bronze: Shrishti Arora, women’s 10m air pistol SH1
• Gold: Mona Agarwal, women’s 50m rifle 3 positions

PARA JUDO

• Bronze: Kapil Parmar, men’s J1 -70kg
• Silver: Kokila, women’s J2 -52kg

PARA POWERLIFTING

• Silver: Ashok, men’s -65kg
• Silver: Kasthuri Rajamani, women’s -67kg

PARA TABLE TENNIS

• Bronze: Jehan Madan, men’s singles Class 1
• Bronze: Sonalben Patel, women’s singles Class 3
• Bronze: Bhavina Patel, women’s singles Class 4-5
• Bronze: Prachi Pandey, women’s singles Class 6
• Bronze: Baby Sahana Ravi, women’s singles Class 9
• Bronze: Shubham Wadhwa and Bhavina Patel, mixed doubles Class XD7
• Bronze: Jehan Madan and Shubham Wadhwa, men’s doubles MD4

PARA ARCHERY

• Silver: Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag, women’s compound doubles
• Silver: Swati Chaudhary, W1 women’s
• Gold: Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar, compound mixed team
• Gold: Sheetal Devi, women’s compound
• Gold: Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi, men’s recurve doubles
• Silver: Bhawna Choudhary and Pooja Jatyan, women’s recurve doubles

PARA BADMINTON

• Bronze: Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, men's singles SL4
• Bronze: Sanjana Kumari, women's singles SL3
• Bronze: Abhijeet Sakhuja, men's singles SL4
• Bronze: Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan and Krishna Nagar, mixed doubles SH6
• Bronze: Manisha Ramdass and Pramod Bhagat, mixed doubles WH1-WH2
• Bronze: Alphia James and Pallavi Kaluvehalli, women's doubles SL3-SU5
• Bronze: Manisha Ramdass, women's singles SU5
• Bronze: Surya Kant Yadav and Naveen Sivakumar, men's doubles SL3-SU5
• Gold: Nitesh Kumar, men's singles SL3
• Silver: Pramod Bhagat, men's singles SL3
• Gold: Naveen Sivakumar, men's singles SL3
• Silver: Thulasimathi Murugesan, women's singles SU5
• Silver: Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan, women's singles SH6
• Silver: Krishna Nagar and Sivarajan Solaimalai, men's doubles SH6
• Silver: Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan, mixed doubles SL3-SU5
• Gold: Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan, women's doubles SL3-SU5

ASIAN PARA GAMES: FULL MEDALS TALLY

1. People's Republic of China: 204 gold, 115 silver, 108 bronze, 427 total
2. Japan: 64 gold, 60 silver, 62 bronze, 186 total
3. Uzbekistan: 45 gold, 49 silver, 51 bronze, 145 total
4. India: 30 gold, 35 silver, 49 bronze, 114 total
5. Republic of Korea: 28 gold, 36 silver, 33 bronze, 97 total
6. Islamic Republic of Iran: 26 gold, 36 silver, 40 bronze, 102 total
7. Thailand: 18 gold, 39 silver, 63 bronze, 120 total
8. Indonesia: 14 gold, 20 silver, 37 bronze, 71 total
9. Kazakhstan: 12 gold, 16 silver, 22 bronze, 50 total
10. Saudi Arabia: 7 gold, 8 silver, 1 bronze, 16 total
11. Malaysia: 6 gold, 8 silver, 13 bronze, 27 total
12. Iraq: 6 gold, 8 silver, 8 bronze, 22 total
13. Chinese Taipei: 4 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze, 20 total
14. Mongolia: 4 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze, 9 total
15. Hong Kong, China: 2 gold, 13 silver, 21 bronze, 36 total
16. Sri Lanka: 2 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze, 9 total
17. United Arab Emirates: 2 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze, 9 total
18. Philippines: 2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze, 7 total
19. Jordan: 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze, 5 total
20. Vietnam: 1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, 5 total
21. Kuwait: 1 gold, 0 silver, 2 bronze, 3 total
22. Kyrgyzstan: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
23. Singapore: 0 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze, 10 total
24. Qatar: 0 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, 4 total
25. Myanmar: 0 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze, 5 total
26. Bahrain: 0 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze, 3 total
27. Democratic People's Republic of Korea: 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
28. Pakistan: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
28. Tajikistan: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
28. Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
31. Cambodia: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 1 total
31. Oman: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 1 total
31. Syrian Arab Republic: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 1 total

- Ends