Asian Para Games: Kokila secures judo medal for India, sets up gold clash

Kokila secured a medal for India in Judo (Image – X) India’s Kokila clinched a para-judo medal at the Asian Para Games on Monday after defeating China’s Yi Liu in the semi-finals of the women’s J2 52kg category.The visually impaired judoka outclassed her Chinese opponent 1-0 at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall to book her place in the final, where she will compete for gold against Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy later in the day.Kokila registered one waza-ari, the second highest technical score in judo, and one yuko for effective technique during the semi-finals. Liu also managed one waza-ari, while the Indian received a shido penalty for a minor infraction.The result guarantees Kokila at least a silver medal, she improved on her performance at the previous year in Hangzhou, where she won bronze in the category under 48 kg.Hailing from Kasun village in Haryana’s Jind district, Kokila was also part of India’s Paris 2024 Paralympics campaign.The J2 classification is for judokas with varying degrees of visual impairment.

Kapil Parmar to fight for bronze

Meanwhile, India’s Kapil Parmar will compete for bronze in the men’s J1 70kg category after losing 0-1 to Indonesia’s Junaedi in the semi-finals.Parmar will face fellow Indonesian Ahnaf Rafli Shidqi in the bronze play-off later on Monday.Category J1 is intended for athletes with severe visual impairment, from total blindness to minimal light perception.

Sheetal Devi equals world record in archery

Earlier on Monday, India’s para-archer Sheetal Devi produced another outstanding performance to equal the world record in the women’s combined archery rankings.At the multi-purpose square in Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park, Sheetal scored 704 points out of a possible 720, equaling the world record jointly held by Turkey’s Oznur Cure.The record-breaking effort contributed to India’s encouraging start at the 2026 Asian Para Games, where athletes excelled in several disciplines.