Asian Para Games: Simran, Praveen Kumar, Sachin Khilari shine as India’s medal tally rises to 62

Simran, Praveen Kumar and Banti (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a memorable third day at the 2026 Asian Para Games, with its athletics contingent leading the way with five gold medals among 18 podium finishes, helping the country take its total medal tally to 62 and climb to fifth place in the rankings.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 dominated the athletics events in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday.India’s total was 14 gold, 22 silver and 26 bronze medals, with athletics accounting for 13 gold, 14 silver and 15 bronze. Apart from athletics, India also added medals in para-archery, para-swimming and powerlifting, while the badminton contingent secured another podium finish.

Simran’s record double Gavit and Praveen shines

Simran was among India’s top performers as she won gold in the 100m T12 in a Games record 12.02 seconds. The visually impaired sprinter also won 200m T12 gold in a Games record on Tuesday, completing a memorable sprint double.She finished ahead of Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh, who clocked 12.30 seconds, while Indonesia’s Made Ni Putri took bronze in 12.51 seconds.Dilip Gavit won the men’s 100m T47 gold in 10.69 seconds to lead a one-two finish for India. Mohammed Morssinganakath Basil won silver in 10.72 seconds, a Games record, while China’s Kangjun Shi secured bronze in 10.80 seconds.Praveen Kumar won gold in men’s high jump T44/64 with a record performance while Sachin Khilari claimed first place in men’s shot put F46. Ayush Verma also won gold in the F53 men’s shot put event.India collected four athletics silver medals in the morning session through Banti in men’s high jump T44/64, Bhagyashri Jadhav in women’s shot put F34, Mohd Yasser in men’s shot put F46 and Manjeet in men’s javelin F12/13.Bronze medalists included Anubhav Choudhary in Men’s 100m T35, Parveen in Men’s Shot Put F46 and Rakeshbhai Bhatt in Men’s 100m T37.

Preethi Pal adds second silver; athletic catch reached 42

Preethi Pal continued her impressive run by winning silver in the women’s 100m T35, adding to the silver she won in the 200m T35 on Tuesday. The two-time bronze medalist from the Paris 2024 Paralympics was among the three Indian athletes to win two medals at the Games so far.The Indian athletics contingent has amassed 42 medals till Wednesday, maintaining its ambitious target of winning medals in 60 of the 62 events it is participating in.

Sheetal Devi, swimmers and powerlifting add to India’s balance sheet

Armless archers Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag won silver in women’s doubles after losing to China in the final.In para-swimming, visually impaired Ravi Kartik Budigina secured his second silver of the Games by finishing second in the S13 100m backstroke in 1:10.10. Himanshu Nandal also won his second medal, taking bronze in the 100m breaststroke S11 in 1:20.72.Powerlifter Kasthuri Rajamani won silver in the women’s 67kg category, the biggest achievement of her career.In badminton, India’s SL4 men’s singles campaign was assured of at least three medals after defending champions Suhas LY, Naveen Sivakumar and Abhijeet Sakhuja advanced to the semi-finals. The SL4 classification includes athletes with moderate impairment of the lower limbs.Krishna Nagar and Sivarajan Solaimalai secured silver in men’s doubles SH6 category. With four pairs competing in one group, medals were awarded based on final group placement rather than through knockout matches.

India is gaining momentum and more medals are in sight

India’s strong showing across disciplines boosted its position in the overall rankings, with athletics providing the biggest boost. The five gold medals won on Wednesday took the country’s gold tally to 14, while the total stood at 62.With more competitions to go before the event concludes on Saturday, India will look to build on its momentum and expand its medal haul in athletics, badminton, swimming and other disciplines.