Why India slip in Asian Para Games rankings despite 24 medals, five golds as China extends lead

NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a spectacular medal run at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Tuesday, bagging 24 medals, including five golds, but the impressive run was not enough to prevent the country from slipping from fourth to sixth in the standings as rivals also enjoyed a fine day in Aichi-Nagoya.India ended day two with 35 medals – nine gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze – after adding five gold, six silver and 13 bronze medals to Monday’s tally. However, the medal table is ranked primarily by the number of gold medals won, followed by silver and bronze, rather than total medals.This distinction proved crucial. South Korea moved up to fourth with 12 gold medals, while Iran climbed to fifth with 10. India dropped to sixth with nine golds despite having more medals than South Korea.

China widens gap as Uzbekistan overtakes Japan

China continued to dominate the competition, extending its lead at the top with 70 gold medals and 149 medals overall. The gap between China and the chasing nations remained significant, with Uzbekistan in second place with 17 golds and 56 medals.Hosts Japan, despite having 63 medals – seven more than Uzbekistan – finished third with 16 golds. The lead kept them ahead of Uzbekistan.Thailand was seventh with 41 medals, including eight gold. Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Malaysia completed the top 10 of the running order.India’s position was therefore not a reflection of a bad day. Rather, competition at the top intensified as competing nations racked up gold medals at a faster rate.READ ALSO: Medal storm in India! 24 medals, five gold as Nishad Kumar, Deepthi Jeevanji shines

Nishad, Deepthi lead India’s golden attack

India’s five gold medals on Tuesday came thanks to a superb athletic performance led by Nishad Kumar and Deepthi Jeevanji.Nishad won the men’s T47 high jump title with a Games record 2.04m, adding to his long jump gold from Monday. He became only the third Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games.Deepthi reaffirmed her continental dominance by winning gold in the women’s 400m T20 in a Games record time of 56.36 seconds.Simran won the women’s 200m T12 title in a Games record 24.80 seconds, while Pranav Soorma won the F51/52/53 combined event in the men’s discus with an Asian record of 11.66m. Devender Kumar capped India’s gold rush by winning the men’s discus F43/64.The five golds provided a significant boost, but India’s six silver and 13 bronze medals also contributed significantly to India’s haul of 24 medals. The total in the country rose from 11 to 35 in a single day.India will look to convert their strong performances in archery and badminton into more medals in the coming days. However, if you want to climb the ranks, focus on adding more golds rather than just increasing your medal total.

Asian Para Games 2026 medals after day 2

RankingNationsGoldSilverBronzeTotal1China7044351492Uzbekistan172118563Japan162027634South Korea12913345Iran101216386INDIA91115357Thailand81122418Kazakhstan5610219Indonesia44172510Malaysia3339