New Delhi: India concluded its campaign at the 2026 Asian Para Games with a record total of 114 medals—comprising 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze, marking its best-ever medal tally at this continental event.
Indian para-athletes delivered outstanding performances in athletics, badminton, archery, shooting, table tennis and swimming; they set world and Games records and achieved historic victories.
At the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, India initially won 111 medals, but three were subsequently stripped following anti-doping violations, reducing its official tally to 108. At the 2026 edition, India fielded a 168-member contingent and secured a record 114 medals, including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze, finishing fourth in the medal standings.
In para-badminton, Nitesh Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 final by defeating his compatriot Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16. In the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 category, Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi also secured a gold medal.
In para-shooting, Mona Agarwal won gold in the women’s 50m rifle three positions SH1, setting a world record with a score of 357.5. India also secured silver in women’s recurve doubles through Pooja Jatyan and Bhawna Choudhary.
Para-athletics emerged as the sport that brought the highest number of medals for India. Heney won gold medal in the men’s F37/38 javelin event with a world-record of 60.49 meters, while Sandeep secured victory in the men’s 400m T64 event by setting a world record of 52.28 seconds.
In the men’s javelin throw event, Sumit Antil won the gold medal, while Mahendra Gurjar secured the silver and Sandeep Sanjay Sargar took the bronze; thus, Indian athletes occupied all three spots on the podium. Additionally, Pranav Soorma won the gold medal in the men’s club throw F51 event with a distance of 32.87 meters, setting a new Games record.
Meanwhile, para-table tennis players Jehan Dorab Madan and Shubham Wadhwa won a bronze medal in the men’s doubles Class MD4 event, while swimmer Himanshu Nandal secured a bronze medal in the men’s 100m freestyle S11 event. Nandal finished the Games with three bronze medals overall.
India’s record medal haul highlights the growing strength of the country’s para-sports programme and marks a milestone in its Asian Para Games campaign.
India’s final medal tally: 114 — 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze.
(DD News)
