Sports/Alive News: Indian para-athletes delivered another impressive performance at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Thursday, winning 27 medals on Day 4. India’s overall tally rose to 88 medals, including 21 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze, keeping the country fourth in the medal standings.
Anjanaben Bumbadiya led India’s track and field campaign by winning gold in the women’s 400m T47 event, while compatriot Jayanti Behara secured silver to complete an Indian one-two finish.
Archers Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar added another gold medal by winning the compound mixed team event. The Indian pair defeated Indonesia’s Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151-148 in the final, securing India’s first archery gold medal at this edition of the Games.
Suvarna Raj Wins Gold in Shot Put
Suvarna Raj clinched gold in the women’s shot put F54 event with a best throw of 15.66 metres. The 44-year-old athlete from Uttar Pradesh produced a consistent performance, recording throws beyond 15 metres on four of her six attempts. Her winning effort came on her fifth attempt.
Iran’s Shahla Hadidi won silver, while Vietnam’s Thuy Ngoc Thi Nguyen claimed bronze. Suvarna improved on her performance at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where she had won bronze.
The F54 category features seated athletes with impairments affecting their torso and lower-limb functions. Competitors throw from specially designed chairs and rely primarily on their upper-body strength and arm movements.
Swati Chaudhary Creates History in Archery
Swati Chaudhary won silver in the women’s W1 archery event, securing India’s first-ever medal in this category at the Asian Para Games. Making her debut at the continental competition, the 37-year-old put up a strong fight in the final but lost 4-6 to China’s Mengkan Cen.
India Add Multiple Para-Badminton Medals
Indian shuttlers also contributed several medals in para-badminton. Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre won bronze in the mixed doubles SH6 event after losing their semi-final against Indonesia’s Rina Marlina and Subhan 14-21, 18-21.
Krishna Nagar and Sivarajan Solaimalai had earlier secured silver in the men’s doubles SH6 event after finishing second in the round-robin standings.
Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass claimed bronze in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 category. The Indian duo lost a closely contested semi-final against Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Himat Ramdani 21-16, 13-21, 17-21.
Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj also secured bronze in the men’s singles SL4 event after losing to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan. In the same category, Naveen Sivakumar defeated compatriot Abhijeet Sakhujа 21-13, 21-15 to advance to the semi-finals.
Sanjana Kumari added another bronze in the women’s singles SL3 event. She lost her semi-final 7-21, 9-21 to Japan’s Shino Kawai.
Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar Reach Final
India also celebrated a place in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final, with Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar defeating China’s Zuxian Xiao and Mingpan Li in three games.
The Indian pair won 21-19, 14-21, 21-17 to book their place in the final. They had won bronze in the previous edition and will now aim to improve on that result.
With strong performances across athletics, archery and para-badminton, India continued its push for a higher position in the Asian Para Games medal standings.
