India Bags 11 Medals on Day 1 of Asian Para Games 2026, Sits Fourth in Standings

Nagoya, October 19: India enjoyed a strong start to its campaign at the 5th Asian Para Games 2026, finishing the opening day with 11 medals, including four gold, five silver and two bronze, to occupy fourth place in the overall medal standings.

Indian para-athletes delivered impressive performances across para shooting, para athletics, para archery and para judo, highlighted by multiple one-two finishes and a world-record effort in the mixed team compound archery event.

The standout performance in para shooting came from Mona Agarwal, who clinched gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 (R2) event with a score of 250.0, setting a new Asian Para Games record. India's Avani Lekhara claimed silver with 249.6 points, completing a memorable one-two finish.

India also made history in para archery, where Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar set a new world record in the mixed team compound ranking round. The duo amassed 1,402 points, bettering the previous mark of 1,400 and providing one of the biggest highlights of the opening day.

Para athletics added significantly to India's medal tally, with Rinku winning gold in the men's javelin throw F46 with an effort of 65.11 metres. Ajeet Singh followed closely with a throw of 65.02 metres to secure silver, giving India another one-two finish.

In the women's 1500m T12/13 final, Soumya Kumar B. clinched gold in a personal-best time of 5:12.39, while Radha Venkatesh took silver in 5:30.90 to complete another strong showing by the Indian contingent.

India's campaign in para judo also yielded a silver medal through Kokila. Meanwhile, Kapil Parmar advanced his campaign with a quarterfinal victory in the men's J1 -70kg category.

With four gold, five silver and two bronze medals, India ended Day 1 in fourth place, trailing China, Japan and Uzbekistan in the standings.

The opening-day results underline India's growing competitiveness across para-sports, with record-breaking performances and podium sweeps providing momentum for the days ahead. As the Games continue in Aichi-Nagoya through October 24, the Indian contingent will aim to build on its promising start and add to its medal haul across the remaining events.