Asian Para Games 2026: India bag record 114 medals with just 168 athletes

The smaller Indian contingent produced a bigger return, breaking the Asian Para Games national record of 114 medals in Nagoya. India’s haul of 30 golds, 35 silvers and 49 bronzes is the best ever at a continental event, with para-athletics driving the campaign that has exceeded expectations.Only 168 Indian athletes – 112 men, 56 women – competed in 11 sports, slightly more than half of the 303 sent to Hangzhou in 2023. Still, India beat their previous best of 111 medals there to finish fifth, bettering their 72-medal return from Jakarta in 2018, where they represented the country’s athletes.The athletes who collected 65 medals, of which 22 were gold, were the most outstanding. Para-badminton was the next biggest contributor with 16, taking the two events together to 81 medals – more than 70 per cent of India’s total. The numbers highlight how effectively the team turned the opportunity into a podium finish.Friday brought a flourish, with India winning nine gold medals – its best one-day haul at these Games. Sandeep stormed to the men’s T64 400m title in a world record 52.28s, while Haney won gold in the men’s F37/38 javelin with a world record throw of 60.49m.Sumit Antil, the Paralympic champion, defended his javelin crown in the men’s combined F42-44/61-64 event with a throw of 72.46m. It was not a record, but it was enough to lead India’s sweep: Mahendra Gurjar took silver with 59.03m and Sandip Sanjay Sargar bronze with 64.48m.Pranav Soorma defended his title in the men’s F51 club throw with a Games record 32.87m. Sandeep’s compatriot Ajay Kumar claimed bronze in the 400m T64 in a Games record 53.61s. Nimisha C won silver in the women’s long jump T47 with 5.37m, while Parmod Bijarnia took silver in the men’s 1500m T46 in a time 4:09.65.India was fourth ahead of South Korea on Friday, which has 28 gold, 36 silver and 33 bronze medals (97). With the finals scheduled for Saturday and no Indian entries in the events, the standings remained vulnerable: three Korean golds would take them to 31 and put them ahead. Even two would have tied the gold tally at 30, with Korea’s silver advantage deciding the tie-break.Regardless of the final standings, India’s record haul made it a landmark.