Hangzhou: Indian para-athletes delivered a historic and dominant performance in track and field events on Day 2 of the Asian Para Games, clinching a remarkable haul of medals. Tuesday belonged entirely to the Indian athletics contingent, who secured five gold medals from the track alone. This exceptional showing propelled India to the sixth position in the overall medal tally, boasting a total of 35 medals, including 9 golds, by the end of the day.
The track and field athletes were the undisputed stars, contributing 20 of India’s 35 medals. Nishad Kumar emerged as the standout performer of the day. Following his gold medal victory in the Men’s Long Jump T47 event on Monday, Kumar soared to victory again on Tuesday. He set a new Games record with a leap of 2.04 metres in the Men’s High Jump T47, becoming the third Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Para Asiad.
Indian women sprinters also etched their names in the record books. Deepthi Jeevanji, a 23-year-old former World Champion and Paralympic bronze medallist from Telangana, secured her second consecutive Para Asiad gold. She dominated the 400m T20 race, clocking a new Games record time of 56.36 seconds.
Paralympic medallist Simran continued the golden streak, winning the 200m T12 event with a new Games record of 24.80 seconds. In the same event, debutant Tejalben Damor secured the bronze medal, crossing the finish line in 25.23 seconds. The golden run in athletics continued with wheelchair athletes Pranav Soorma (F51/52/53 category) and Devendra Kumar (F44/64 category), who both secured gold medals in the discus throw events.
Beyond athletics, Indian athletes also shone in other disciplines. Paris Paralympic silver medallist Manish Narwal clinched silver in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event, securing a quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. In powerlifting, Ashok Kumar Malik from Sonipat upgraded his previous bronze to silver, lifting 192 kg in the men’s 65 kg category. The swimming and table tennis contingents also contributed to the tally, with athletes like Himanshu Nandal and Niranjan Mukundan winning bronze in swimming, while Bhavina Patel, Sonalben Patel, Prachi Pandey, and Ravi Baby Sahana secured bronze medals in table tennis.