India has finished its campaign at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with its best-ever medal tally at the continental event. The Indian contingent won 114 medals, including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze, and finished fourth in the medal standings.
The achievement marks a significant step forward for Indian para-sports. The country surpassed its previous best of 108 medals at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China. This time, India sent 168 athletes, compared with 309 in the previous edition, making the final tally particularly notable. The Indian team had no athletes competing on the final day of its campaign.
Athletics Leads India’s Medal Count
Para-athletics remained the biggest contributor to India’s success, bringing home 65 medals, including 22 gold. Indian athletes performed strongly in track and field events, with several winning medals and setting new records.
One of the standout performances came from Sandeep, who won gold in the men’s 400-metre T64 event in 52.28 seconds. His timing set a new world record. Fellow Indian Ajay Kumar also secured bronze in the same race, finishing in 53.61 seconds.
Haney added another memorable moment by winning gold in the men’s javelin throw F37/38 event with a world-record throw of 60.49 metres. India’s Nimisha Chakkungalparambil won silver in the women’s long jump T47, while Parmod Bijarnia secured silver in the men’s 1,500-metre T46 race.
These results added to India’s strong showing across athletics, where competitors continued to collect medals throughout the Games.
Para-Badminton Produces Important Wins
India’s para-badminton players finished the competition with 16 medals, including three gold. The results reflected the country’s continued strength in the sport, even though its total was lower than the 21 medals won at Hangzhou in 2023.
Nitesh Kumar won the men’s singles SL3 title after defeating fellow Indian and Tokyo Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the final. Naveen Sivakumar also secured gold in the men’s singles SL4 event, beating Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-17.
Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi won the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 title after defeating China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian 21-16, 21-13. Thulasimathi also earned silver in the women’s singles SU5 event and mixed doubles, finishing the Games with three medals.
The performances highlighted the depth of India’s para-badminton team and the contribution of both experienced players and newcomers.
Shooting and Archery Add to the Success
Para-shooting also gave India some important results. Mona Agarwal won gold in the women’s 50-metre rifle three positions SH1 event with a score of 357.5 points, setting a world record. It was her second gold medal of the Games.
Earlier, Mona had won the women’s 10-metre air rifle standing SH1 event with a Games-record score of 250.0 points. Avani Lekhara finished second in that competition, taking silver with 249.6 points.
In para-archery, Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi won gold in the men’s recurve doubles event. Their victory added to India’s total of six medals in archery and gave the contingent another important result in the final phase of its campaign.
Swimming and Table Tennis Show Progress
India’s para-swimming team won 11 medals, including three silver and eight bronze. This was a considerable improvement on its performance at the previous edition, where Indian swimmers won just one medal.
Himanshu Nandal secured three bronze medals, including one in the men’s 100-metre freestyle S11 event. Ravi Budigina also finished with three medals, winning two silver and one bronze.
Para-table tennis players contributed seven bronze medals, compared with two at the 2023 Games. The improvement in swimming and table tennis showed that India’s progress was not limited to its traditionally stronger events.
A Milestone for Indian Para-Sports
India’s final tally of 114 medals reflects the work of athletes, coaches and support teams across several sports. The results also show the importance of providing para-athletes with better training facilities, equipment, coaching and opportunities to compete internationally.
Although India finished fourth, its record medal count is an encouraging sign for the future. The performance in athletics, badminton, shooting, archery, swimming and table tennis suggests that the country’s para-sports programme is developing across a wider range of disciplines.
The next challenge will be to build on this achievement. Sustained support, access to quality training and opportunities for emerging athletes will be important if India hopes to improve its position at future international competitions.
For now, the 2026 Asian Para Games will be remembered as India’s most successful campaign at the event, with 114 medals marking a new high for the country.
