Shailesh Kumar Shatters Asian Para Games Record As India Sweep Men’s High Jump T63 Podium

India continued to strengthen their medal tally at the Asian Para Games on October 22, delivering an impressive series of performances across para-athletics, para-swimming and para-badminton in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

A historic podium sweep in the men's high jump T63, multiple medals on the track and the swimming pool, and two bronze medals in badminton highlighted another productive day for the Indian contingent.

The biggest highlight came in the men's high jump T63, where India secured all three medals in a remarkable display of dominance.

Shailesh Kumar produced a record-breaking performance, clearing 1.89 metres to claim the gold medal while setting a new Asian Para Games record.

Varun Bhati followed him onto the podium with a season-best jump of 1.84 metres, earning silver, while Rahul completed the Indian sweep with a personal-best effort of 1.81 metres to take bronze.

India also enjoyed a double podium finish in the women's 400m T47 final. Anjanaben Bumbadiya clinched gold in 59.97 seconds, while compatriot Jayanti Behera secured silver after crossing the finish line in 1:00.65.

In the women's 400m T12 final, Tejalben Damor added another silver medal to India's tally with a time of 57.60 seconds. Iran's Hajar Safarzadeh won gold in 56.43 seconds, setting a new Asian Para Games record.

India's medal-winning performances continued in the swimming pool, with Kapil Kumar and Swastik Patil making valuable contributions.

Kapil secured silver in the men's 400m freestyle S10, clocking 4:38.44. Japan's Akito Minai took gold in 4:27.44 to finish ahead of the Indian swimmer.

Swastik Patil added a bronze medal in the men's SB9 breaststroke final, registering a time of 1:13.77 to secure another podium finish for India.

India also added two bronze medals in para-badminton following hard-fought semifinal encounters.

Manisha Ramadass finished with bronze in the women's singles SU5 category after going down to compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan in a three-game contest. Manisha won the opening game 21-19, but Thulasimathi fought back to take the next two games 21-15 and 21-13.

In the men's doubles, Surya Kant Yadav and Naveen Sivakumar also secured bronze. The Indian pair pushed Indonesia's Suryo Nugroho and Muh Al Imran in a closely contested semifinal but eventually lost 8-21, 21-19, 16-21.

With medals arriving across athletics, swimming and badminton, India's overall tally at the Asian Para Games reached 83 on October 22.

Shailesh Kumar's record-breaking gold and India's complete podium sweep in the men's high jump T63 stood out among the day's achievements, while the performances of Anjanaben Bumbadiya, Jayanti Behera, Tejalben Damor, Kapil Kumar and Swastik Patil further strengthened the country's medal count.

The Indian contingent's continued success across multiple disciplines underlined its growing impact at the continental para-sport event in Japan.