Where will India finish after their best-ever medal haul in the Asian Para Games rankings?

Indian para-athletes Praveen Kumar and Banti (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian para-athletes made history at the Asian Para Games, registering their all-time best medal tally of 114 medals, including a record 30 golds, after a spectacular nine-gold sweep on Friday. But with several events remaining before the final day, one question remains: where will India finish in the medal standings?India are currently fourth in the standings at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, surpassing their previous best of 108 medals, including the 27 gold they achieved in Hangzhou in 2023. The contingent also improved its record for gold medals by three, underscoring the extent of its success in Japan.However, the final standings are still subject to change when the remaining competitions are completed on Saturday. South Korea, currently fifth, are the biggest threat to fourth-placed India, while Iran also have a mathematical chance of advancing. There are no events left for Indian athletes at the Games.Regardless of the final position, India is assured of its best finish in terms of medal standings at the Asian Para Games. Their previous best was sixth in Hangzhou in 2023.READ ALSO: History of the Indian scenario with the best ever haul of 114 medals

Can South Korea push India down to fifth place?

With 30 gold medals, India is ahead of South Korea who won 28 gold, 36 silver and 33 bronze medals for a total of 97.South Korea could overtake India if they win two more gold medals in the remaining events. That would put them level with India with 30 golds and their higher silver tally – 36 to India’s 35 – would give them a lead in the rankings.Iran is sixth with 26 gold, 36 silver and 40 bronze medals. They would need another four gold medals to level with India, so a late surge over the Indian contingent is a worse prospect with only a few events left.Hence, India’s final ranking will depend on the results in the remaining schedule of the competition. The standings will be confirmed once the final races are completed on Saturday.

Nine golds cover India’s historic campaign

India’s record was sealed with a remarkable performance on the final day on Friday, when the contingent bagged nine gold medals – its highest one-day gold total in this edition.Athletics remained India’s biggest contributor, winning 65 medals, 12 more than at previous Games. Badminton, shooting and archery were added to the golden finish.The performance of the 168-member Indian contingent was particularly impressive given that it was almost half the size of the team that competed in Hangzhou in 2023.

China dominates, followed by Japan and Uzbekistan

China continued to lead by a significant margin, surpassing the 200 gold mark and reaching 427 medals. Host Japan was second with 185 medals, including 63 gold, while Uzbekistan was third with 145 medals, including 45 gold.India’s fourth place finish remains under scrutiny till the end of the final events, but the overall achievement is already historic. With 114 medals and 30 golds, the Indian contingent set new benchmarks for their performance at the Asian Para Games.The final standings will be confirmed on Saturday, when the remaining competitions finish before the closing ceremony.

Asian Para Games 2026 medals: Top 10 nations

RankingNationsGoldSilverBronzeTotal1China2041151084272Japan6360621853Uzbekistan4549511454INDIA3035491145South Korea283633976Iran2636401027Thailand1839631208Indonesia142037719Kazakhstan1216225010Saudi Arabia88117