Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated India’s para-athletes for delivering the country’s best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games 2026, with a record tally of 114 medals.
In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister described the achievement as a moment of immense pride and joy for the nation. He praised the determination of the Indian contingent, noting that every athlete had contributed to the historic performance and inspired countless Indians.
India finished fourth in the overall standings at the Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, winning 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals.
The medal tally surpassed India’s previous best of 111 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2023, where the country secured 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze medals to finish fifth.
Para athletics emerged as India’s biggest medal contributor, accounting for 65 medals, including 22 gold. The remaining eight gold medals came from para archery, para badminton and para shooting.
Sheetal Devi was among India’s standout performers, winning three medals, including two gold and one silver. Thulasimathi Murugesan, Ravi Karthik and Himanshu Nandal also secured three medals each. Thulasimathi won one gold and two silver medals, Ravi Karthik claimed two silver and one bronze, while Himanshu won three bronze medals.
Mona Agarwal, Nishad Kumar, Pranav Soorma, Simran and Dilip Gavit also won two gold medals each.
Indian athletes set several records during the competition. Haney established a world record with a throw of 60.49 metres in the men’s javelin F37/38 event, while Sandeep set a world record in the men’s 400-metre T64 event with a time of 52.28 seconds.
Mona Agarwal also set a world record in the women’s 50-metre rifle three positions SH1 event. In para archery, Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar combined to record a world-best score of 1,402 points in the compound mixed team qualification round.
Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil successfully defended his javelin throw title. India also secured all three podium places in the event, with Mahendra Gurjar winning silver and Sandip Sanjay Sargar taking bronze.
The Indian contingent achieved further podium sweeps in the men’s shot put F46, discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64 and high jump T42/T63 events.
The fifth edition of the continental multi-sport event featured athletes from 45 National Paralympic Committees competing across 18 sports. India’s para-athletes participated in 11 sports at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
-PIB
