Asian Para Games 2026: India’s Record 114-Medal Haul

With roughly half the athletes, India won more medals. That works out to about 0.68 medals per athlete in 2026, compared with around 0.35 in Hangzhou, nearly double the efficiency. The Hangzhou tally reflects three medals revoked after doping violations involving Neeraj Yadav and Parveen.

The result suggests a more focused selection process and deeper quality in Indian para-sport, a positive sign ahead of future global events.

Para-Badminton: An All-Indian Final

Paralympic champion Nitesh Kumar beat world champion Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the men’s singles SL3 final to win gold, completing an all-Indian podium. Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Girishchandra Joshi won women’s doubles SL3-SU5 gold, beating China’s Qiuxia Yang and Zuxian Xiao 21-16, 21-13. Thulasimathi also won silver in women’s singles SU5, while Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan took silver in women’s singles SH6.

Para-Athletics: Records Tumble

Haney set a world record of 60.49 metres to win men’s javelin throw F37/38 gold in the T37 category. Debutant Sandeep won the men’s 400m T64 gold in 52.28 seconds, a world record in the T44 category, and later added bronze in the 100m T44.

India swept the men’s javelin throw F42-F44/F61-F64 podium, with Sumit winning gold (72.46m), Mahendra Gurjar silver (Games record 59.03m) and Sandip Sanjay Sargar bronze (Games record 64.48m). Pranav Soorma won club throw F51 gold with a Games-record 32.87m.

Shooting, Archery and More

Mona Agarwal won gold in women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 with 357.5 points, setting world and Asian Para Games records and becoming the first Indian para-shooter to medal in the event at the Games.

In para-archery, Harvinder Singh and debutant Vijay Sundi won men’s recurve doubles gold, while Pooja Jatyan and Bhawna Choudhary’s silver gave India its first-ever medal in women’s recurve doubles.

At 50, table tennis player Jehan Dorab Madan became India’s oldest medallist at the Games with a men’s doubles MD4 bronze alongside Shubham Wadhwa. Swimmer Himanshu Nandal finished with three bronze medals.

The Bottom Line

India’s Aichi-Nagoya campaign was not just its biggest ever but also its most efficient. With world records, historic firsts and a blend of veterans and debutants, the results point to a para-sport system that is maturing fast.