SportsPosted at: Oct 21 2026 7:08PM


Asian Para Games: Simran, Praveen and Sachin headline India’s Day 3 show, lift country to fifth

Tridib Baparnash
New Delhi, Oct 21 (UNI) India enjoyed a record-breaking day at the 2026 Asian Para Games as its athletics contingent led a rich medal haul of 18, including five gold, on Wednesday to lift the country to fifth place in the overall standings.
Sprinter Simran, high-jumper Praveen Kumar and shot-putter Sachin Khilari set new Games records in their respective events, while Dilip Gavit and Ayush Verma also struck gold as Indian para-athletes continued their impressive run in Hangzhou.
Athletics accounted for 13 of India’s 14 gold medals at the Games so far, underlining the discipline’s dominance. The country’s overall tally stood at 62 medals, comprising 14 gold, 22 silver and 26 bronze, with two days of competition still remaining in the eight-day event, which concludes on Saturday.
India also collected medals in para-archery, para-swimming, powerlifting and badminton, with several athletes adding to their earlier podium finishes.
Simran was among the standout performers of the day, winning the women’s 100m T12 gold in a Games record time of 12.02 seconds. The visually impaired sprinter finished ahead of Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh, who clocked 12.30 seconds, to complete a sprint double after winning the 200m title on Tuesday.
Both victories came with Games records within 24 hours, an impressive feat given the fatigue the 26-year-old has been dealing with. Simran, who follows a strictly vegetarian diet, has also faced challenges in finding suitable food options during the competition.
Praveen Kumar and Sachin Khilari added to India’s gold medal tally with record-breaking performances in the men’s high jump T44/64 and shot put F46 events, respectively. Ayush Verma opened the gold rush in athletics by winning the men’s shot put F53, while Gavit topped the podium in the men’s 100m T46/47 combined event.
Gavit, 23, clocked 10.69 seconds to win the sprint title, while compatriot Mohammed Morssinganakath Basil finished second in 10.72 seconds, also setting a Games record. Gavit competes in the T46 classification, while Basil is a T47 athlete. The two classifications are combined in some events to ensure a sufficient number of competitors.
Athletes in the T46 and T47 categories have upper-limb impairments, with the classification depending on the nature and extent of the impairment.
India also secured four silver medals in the morning athletics session. Banti finished second in the men’s high jump T44/64, Bhagyashri Jadhav took silver in the women’s shot put F34, Mohd Yasser claimed the runner-up spot in the men’s shot put F46, and Manjeet secured silver in the men’s javelin F12/13.
Basil’s silver in the men’s 100m T46/47 added to the country’s haul, while Anubhav Choudhary in the men’s 100m T35, Parveen in the men’s shot put F46 and Rakeshbhai Bhatt in the men’s 100m T37 won bronze medals.
India’s athletics contingent has now won 41 medals and is aiming to reach the podium in 60 of the 62 events in which it is participating. With two full days of competition remaining, the performances so far have kept that ambitious target within reach.
Three Indian athletes have won multiple medals at the Games, including Preeti Pal, who added a silver in the women’s 100m T35 event on Wednesday to the silver she won in the 200m T35 event on Tuesday. The T35 classification is for athletes with coordination impairments, including those associated with cerebral palsy. Preeti, who won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paralympics, continued her strong run with another podium finish.
Later in the evening, Haney produced a personal best of 57.04 metres in his final attempt to secure a bronze medal in the men’s discus throw F37 event. Haney was in a podium position in the initial phase of the competition before being pushed out of the top three, but bounced back brilliantly with his final attempt to clinch the bronze.
Shailesh Kumar clinched bronze in the men’s long jump T42/T61/T63 event. He recorded a best jump of 5.57 metres to finish third, narrowly edging out compatriot Mahendra Gurjar, who finished fourth with 5.56 metres. The T42/T61/T63 classifications cover athletes with lower-limb impairments, including those who compete with prosthetic limbs. Athletes are classified according to the nature and extent of their impairment.
Sharath Makanahalli, a silver medallist at the previous edition of the Games in Hangzhou, won bronze in the men’s 1500m T12 event after clocking a season’s best time of 4:11.01. The T12 classification is for athletes with visual impairments who have limited vision. Athletes in this category may compete with or without a guide runner, depending on the event and their choice.
In the women’s discus F55 event, Karamjyoti Dalal clinched bronze with a personal best of 21.60 metres. Karamjyoti, who qualified for the 2016 and 2024 Paralympics, had represented Haryana in judo and kabaddi at the national level before a mishap in 2008 changed the course of her life. A fall from a terrace left her with impaired motor function, eventually leading her to para sports. The F55 classification is for seated throwing athletes with lower-limb impairments.
Archers and swimmers also add to the tally
Beyond athletics, India enjoyed encouraging results in para-archery and swimming. Armless compound archer Sheetal Devi, who is in contention for multiple medals, teamed up with Payal Nag to win silver in the women’s doubles event. The Indian pair lost to China in the final.
In the pool, visually impaired swimmer Ravi Kartik Budigina claimed his second silver medal of the Games, finishing second in the men’s 100m backstroke S13 event in 1:10.10. He competed in a four-swimmer field.
Himanshu Nandal also secured his second medal, winning bronze in the men’s breaststroke SB13 category. Nandal has severe visual impairment, while Ravi competes in the S13 classification for athletes with visual impairments. Nandal clocked 1:20.72 to complete another podium finish for India.
There was further success in powerlifting, where Kasthuri Rajamani won silver in the women’s 67kg category. The polio-affected athlete’s medal marked the biggest achievement of her career.
India also made progress in badminton, assuring itself of three medals in the men’s singles SL4 competition. Defending champion Suhas LY, Naveen Sivakumar and Abhijeet Sakhuja all advanced to the semi-finals in the category for players with moderate lower-limb impairments.
Their progress ensured that India would have multiple opportunities to add to its medal count.
The men’s doubles pair of Krishna Nagar and Sivarajan Solaimalai took silver in the SH6 category for athletes of short stature. The competition featured just four teams in a single group, with medals decided by group standings rather than knockout matches.UNI TB AAB
Tags: #Asian Para Games: Simran# Praveen and Sachin headline India’s Day 3 show# lift country to fifth
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