On Friday, India brought its total medal tally at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games to within one short of the century mark. After finishing with 107 medals in the Asian Games, India is once again eyeing the possibility of reaching a century in China. This campaign is already India’s most successful ever. India concluded the day in sixth place in the overall medal tally with a total of 99 medals, consisting of 25 gold, 29 silver, and 45 bronze medals.
Sheetal Devi’s victory in the solo competition made her the highlight of the day. Earlier in the Games, she had won the mixed doubles gold medal in the compound open competition, therefore this was her second gold medal overall. Sheetal was behind in the championship match by three points after nine arrows, but she hit two sets of perfect 30s to complete a remarkable comeback and win the match. She made history by becoming the first woman from India to win an individual gold medal in archery at the Asian Para Games.
The Indian shuttlers had their best performance at the Games, winning a total of 21 medals, including four gold medals, four silver medals, and four bronze medals in the sport of para badminton in which they competed and won eight finals. Gold medals were awarded to Pramod Bhagat, Suhas Yathiraj, Thulasimathi Murugesan, and Nitesh Kumar and Tarun respectively.
In the men’s 1500m-T38 final, Raman Sharma’s time was an Asian Record, and he won the gold medal for his performance. In a similar fashion, Solairaj Dharmaraj won gold in the men’s long jump-T64 competition and set an Asian Record.
With just one more day remaining in the Games, it is likely that India will surpass the 100-medal mark.
A look at the Indian athletes who won medals on October 27 at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou is as follows:
Asian Para Games Medal Tally
Archery:
- Gold: Sheetal Devi, Women’s Individual Compound – Open
- Silver: Rakesh Kumar, Men’s Individual Compound – Open
Athletics:
- Gold: Raman Sharma, Men’s 1500m-T38
- Gold: Solairaj Dharmaraj, Men’s Long Jump-T64
- Silver: Pradeep Kumar, Men’s Javelin Throw-F54
- Bronze: Laxit, Men’s Javelin Throw-F54
- Bronze: Manu, Men’s Shot Put-F37
- Bronze: Lakshmi, Women’s Discus Throw-F37/38
Para Badminton Medals at Asian Para Games:
- Gold: Pramod Bhagat, Men’s Singles SL3
- Gold: Suhas Yathiraj, Men’s Singles SL4
- Gold: Thulasimathi Murugesan, Women’s Singles SU5
- Gold: Nitesh Kumar & Tarun, Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4
- Silver: Krishna Nagar, Men’s Singles SH6
- Silver: Nitesh Kumar, Men’s Singles SL3
On October 23, the official opening ceremonies of the fourth edition of the Asian Para Games kicked off with the medal competitions.
In 2010, India had won 14 medals; in 2014, they got 33 medals; and in 2018, they earned 72 medals. India had earned one gold medal at the first-ever competition, which took place in Guangzhou. Indonesia, on the other hand, took home 15 of them. The final medal tally for the Jakarta competition placed India ninth overall.
Track and field competitions have, throughout history and comparably to the Asian Games, been the primary contributor to India’s medal haul at the Asian Para Games. Before the 2023 competition, India has already amassed a total of 119 medals, 60 of which were earned in the athletics competition.