India's para athletes are producing a historic campaign at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, surging to fourth place in the overall medal standings with 38 medals, including 12 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze, as of Wednesday morning. The tally underlines India's rapid rise as a para-sporting power on the continent.
China leads the table by a distance with 152 medals, including 70 gold, while host nation Japan sits third with 63 medals. Uzbekistan holds second place with 56 medals, and India is narrowly ahead of South Korea in the race for fourth.
India's campaign began in spectacular fashion on the opening day of competition on October 19, when the contingent won 11 medals, comprising four gold, five silver and two bronze, across para athletics, shooting para sport, para judo and para swimming.
The gold rush on day one was led by para athletics. Nishad Kumar struck gold in the men's long jump T47, while Rinku won the men's javelin throw F46 and Soumya triumphed in the women's 1500m T12/T13. In shooting para sport, Mona Agarwal won the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 (R2) event, edging out her illustrious compatriot Avani Lekhara, who took silver in the same event.
The silver medals on the opening day went to Ajeet Singh in the men's javelin throw F46, Radha Venkatesh in the women's 1500m T12/T13, Kokila in para judo's women's J2 -52 kg category, and Ravi Karthik Budigina in the men's 100m freestyle S13 para swimming. The two bronze medals came from Ravanni Valasanaini in the women's 1500m T11 and Kapil Parmar in para judo's men's J1 -70 kg division.
Day two brought more success and pushed India's tally past the 20-medal mark. Deepthi Jeevanji won gold in the women's 400m T20 in para athletics, clocking 56.20 seconds. Pradeep Kumar took silver in the men's javelin throw F53/F54 with a throw of 27.45m, while Ayush Verma won bronze in the same event at 17.88m. Praveen Sharma added a bronze in the men's shot put F11 with 13.86m.
Para table tennis contributed three bronze medals through Sonalben Patel in the women's singles Class 3, Bhavina Patel in the women's singles Class 4-5, and Prachi Pandey in the women's singles Class 6. Earlier results also included a gold for Simran in the women's 100m T12 and bronze medals for Preethi Pal in the women's 200m T35 and Pardeep Kumar in the men's discus throw F64.
The standout story of day two, however, may be what is still to come. Pranav Soorma and Ram Ratan Singh are set for a 1-2 finish for India in the men's discus throw, while archer Sheetal Devi reached two finals, capping an excellent day for the Indian contingent.
The para badminton pair of Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramdass marched into the semi-finals of the mixed SL3-SU5 event with a dominant straight-games victory over Thailand, joining fellow Indians Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimati Murugesan in the final four.
There were near-misses too. In para table tennis, Bhavina Patel missed out on the women's singles final after a hard-fought 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 semi-final loss to China's Zhang Bian, but brought home yet another podium finish for the nation with her bronze. The individual recurve and compound para archery events were delayed at the start of day two, with organisers yet to confirm revised timings.
The presence of proven champions in the squad adds to India's medal prospects. Avani Lekhara, the shooting star who won silver on day one behind Mona Agarwal, is among the most decorated para athletes in Indian history, while Sheetal Devi has emerged as one of the faces of the contingent. Pramod Bhagat, the experienced para shuttler, remains a strong contender as the badminton knockouts progress.
India's performance continues a remarkable trajectory for the country's para athletes. At the previous edition of the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, India finished with a record 111 medals, and the current campaign in Aichi-Nagoya suggests the contingent is on course for another memorable outing.
The depth of the medal spread — across athletics, shooting, judo, swimming, table tennis and potentially archery and badminton — reflects the widening base of India's para-sport programme.
The Asian Para Games, held every four years in parallel with the Asian Games, is the continent's premier multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, organised under the Asian Paralympic Committee. The 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, has drawn thousands of athletes from across Asia.
For Indian fans, the names to watch in the coming days include Sheetal Devi in archery, the badminton doubles pairs, and the discus throwers Soorma and Ram Ratan Singh, all of whom are well placed to add to the tally. With several medal rounds still to come, India's position in the top five looks secure, and the contingent will be eyeing a push towards the 50-medal mark as the Games enter their decisive phase.
The full list of India's medal winners so far:
Gold: Nishad Kumar (para athletics, men's long jump T47); Rinku (para athletics, men's javelin throw F46); Soumya (para athletics, women's 1500m T12/T13); Mona Agarwal (shooting para sport, women's 10m air rifle standing SH1); Simran (para athletics, women's 100m T12); Deepthi Jeevanji (para athletics, women's 400m T20).
Silver: Ajeet Singh (para athletics, men's javelin throw F46); Radha Venkatesh (para athletics, women's 1500m T12/T13); Kokila (para judo, women's J2 -52 kg); Ravi Karthik Budigina (para swimming, men's 100m freestyle S13); Avani Lekhara (shooting para sport, women's 10m air rifle standing SH1); Pradeep Kumar (para athletics, men's javelin throw F53/F54).
Bronze: Ravanni Valasanaini (para athletics, women's 1500m T11); Kapil Parmar (para judo, men's J1 -70 kg); Preethi Pal (para athletics, women's 200m T35); Pardeep Kumar (para athletics, men's discus throw F64); Ayush Verma (para athletics, men's javelin throw F53/F54); Praveen Sharma (para athletics, men's shot put F11); Sonalben Patel (para table tennis, women's singles Class 3); Bhavina Patel (para table tennis, women's singles Class 4-5); Prachi Pandey (para table tennis, women's singles Class 6).
(Reporting based on The Indian Express, NDTV, Business Standard and The Sunday Guardian.)