Indian Para-Athletes Secure 10 More Medals at Asian Para Games in Nagoya
NAGOYA — India's para-athletics campaign at the Asian Para Games continued its strong performance on Wednesday, as athletes secured 10 additional medals, including three gold, four silver, and three bronze medals, on the third day of competition in Nagoya.
The latest haul follows a 14-medal performance on Tuesday, which had brought the team's total to 20 medals prior to Wednesday's events. The third day was highlighted by gold-medal efforts from Ayush Verma, Praveen Kumar, and Sachin Khilari across shot put and high jump competitions.
Gold Medal Successes in Shot Put and High Jump
Ayush Verma earned India's first gold medal of the day in the men's shot put F53 event. The 35-year-old athlete from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, recorded a throw of 8.16 metres on his fifth attempt to take first place. The victory marked Verma's second medal of the Games, following a bronze medal performance in the men's javelin throw F53/F54 event on Tuesday. Verma, who uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury sustained in a road accident, competes in the F53 classification designated for field athletes with impacted trunk and leg movement and low-level hand grip impairment.
Double Paralympic medallist Praveen Kumar secured India's second gold medal of the day in the men's high jump T44/64 event. The 23-year-old from Govindgarh village, Uttar Pradesh, cleared 2.05 metres to set a Games record and defend his title from the previous Para Asiad. Praveen, who previously won gold at the 2024 Paralympics and bronze at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, led a one-two finish for India. Fellow Indian jumper Banti achieved a personal best of 1.92 metres to win the silver medal.
"I was not well two weeks back and was thinking how I would defend my gold medal. After that I was recovering for one week, but my body was not strong and jumps were not coming. But in the end it turned out that all these illnesses are nothing if you have to win gold for the country," Praveen said following his event.
Clean Sweep in Men's Shot Put F46
In the men's shot put F46 event, Sachin Khilari defended his Asian Para Games title and led India to a clean sweep of the podium. The 36-year-old Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist recorded a throw of 15.87 metres on his sixth and final attempt, breaking the previous Games record of 15.67 metres.
Teammates Mohd Yasser and Parveen completed the podium sweep for India. Yasser secured the silver medal with a throw of 15.06 metres in the third round, while Parveen claimed bronze with a distance of 14.94 metres.
"In the last Para Asiad, Paralympics and World Para Championships, most of the time I was alone on the podium. Today, two more Indians joined me, that is incredible," Khilari said after the competition. Khilari, who hails from Karagani village in Maharashtra's Sangli district, sustained a permanent left-hand impairment from a bicycle accident during his youth. A mechanical engineer by qualification, he works as an educator preparing civil services aspirants alongside competing in elite para-athletics under coach Satayanarayana.
Silver and Bronze Medal Performances
In addition to Banti's high jump silver and Yasser's shot put silver, India secured two more silver medals during Wednesday's morning session. Bhagyashri Jadhav placed second in the women's shot put F34, and Manjeet took silver in the men's javelin throw F12/13.
Alongside Parveen's bronze in the shot put F46, two Indian sprinters earned bronze medals on the track. Anubhav Choudhary finished third in the men's 100m T35, and Rakeshbhai Bhatt added a bronze in the men's 100m T37 event.
