India bag 14 medals in para athletics, Nishad third Indian to win two golds in single Para Asiad

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Gold medalist Simran Sharma and bronze medalist Tejalben Damor, posing with the tricolour after competing in the Women's 200m T12 event at the 5th Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Photo: PCI via PTI

Indian para track and field athletes pocketed 14 medals, including five gold, with Nishad Kumar becoming the third from the country to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games here on Tuesday (October 20, 2026).

India added five gold, four silver, and five bronze medals on the second day of competition, taking the medal count from para athletics to 20, the second best so far after China's 23 (13 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze).

Nishad clinched the top spot in the men's high jump T47 event to join para-runner Ankur Dhama and armless archer Sheetal Devi as only the third Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games.

On Tuesday (October 20), Nishad sailed over 2.04m to win the gold and set a new Games record.

Ankur (men's 5000m T11 and 1500m T11) and Sheetal (women's individual compound open and mixed team compound open) had won two gold medals each in the previous edition in Hangzhou, China.

Nishad's right arm was severed by a grass-cutting machine at his family farm in Himachal Pradesh's Amb when he was merely six.

It was Deepthi Jeevanji, who began India's gold rush on the day, as she reasserted her continental supremacy by snaring a second consecutive Asian Para Games gold medal in the women's 400m T20 event after clocking a Games record time of 56.36sec.

The 23-year-old from Telangana, who also holds the Asian record, is a two-time Para World Championships medallist, having won the gold in 2024.

Hailing from a remote village in Telangana's Warangal, Deepthi's parents are small farmers who also worked as labourers in their village. Her talent for running was first discovered by a physical education teacher in her school.

She eventually found support from badminton great Pullela Gopichand, who suggested a test for her intellectual disability.

After she burst into the limelight with her consistent international performances, Deepthi revealed the tremendous role her parents played in supporting her ambitions despite being taunted for backing her by their fellow villagers.

Seasoned sprinter Simran also created a new Games record to clinch her maiden gold medal, while compatriot Tejalben Damor fetched a bronze in the women's 200m T12 competition.