India’s Kokila clinched the silver medal in the women’s J2 -52kg para-judo event at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday after losing to Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy in the final.
Competing at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, Kokila suffered an ippon defeat in just 21 seconds as Ulanbek Kyzy secured the gold medal.
The Indian judoka had advanced to the final following an impressive semifinal victory over China’s reigning world champion Yi Liu, assuring herself of a medal.
However, Kokila was unable to maintain her winning momentum in the title clash as her Kyrgyz opponent registered a decisive victory.
Despite the defeat, the silver medal marked an improvement on Kokila’s bronze-medal finish in the women’s -48kg category at the previous Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
Competing in the -52kg division this time, she progressed to the final after overcoming strong opposition, including the reigning world champion.
In the semifinal against Liu, Kokila prevailed in a closely contested bout, registering a waza-ari and a yuko. The Chinese judoka also scored a waza-ari, while Kokila received a shido penalty for a minor rule infringement.
The victory secured Kokila a place in the gold-medal contest, where Ulanbek Kyzy ended the bout with an ippon after just 21 seconds.
Hailing from Jind district in Haryana, Kokila is a visually impaired judoka who also represented India at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
She competes in the J2 classification, which is designated for athletes with visual impairments.
Kokila’s silver medal adds another continental achievement to her career and strengthens India’s performance in para-judo at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Her progression from bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games to silver in Aichi-Nagoya highlights her improvement on the international stage.
(IANS Inputs)
