Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Bhavina Patel, along with Baby Sahana Ravi, Shubham Wadhwa, and Jehan Madan, secured impressive victories in their opening matches at the Asian Para Games table tennis competition on Friday, showcasing India's strong start in the event.
Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan secured India's first medal at the Asian Para Games by reaching the women's doubles SL3-SU5 semifinals. Tokyo Paralympics champion Krishna Nagar also advanced to the quarterfinals in men's singles SH6, alongside numerous other Indian victories in various singles and doubles categories, despite some setbacks.
India concluded its badminton campaign at the Asian Para Games with an impressive haul of three gold, five silver, and eight bronze medals, totalling 16. Nitesh Kumar, Naveen Sivakumar, and the pair of Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi secured the gold medals, showcasing India's growing prowess in para-badminton.
Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar secured a spot in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final at the Asian Para Games after defeating China's Li Mingpan and Xiao Zuxian.
India's Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar secured gold medals in men's singles SL3 and SL4 badminton events, respectively, at the Asian Para Games. Nitesh defeated compatriot Pramod Bhagat, while debutant Naveen overcame Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan. India also secured silver medals through Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan and Pramod Bhagat, with Thulasimathi Murugesan still in contention for two more golds.
Indian para shooters Manish Narwal and Shrishti Arora won silver and bronze respectively in the 10m air pistol SH1 events at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya. Narwal's silver also secured a quota place for India at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, making him the third Indian para shooter to do so. The contingent now has four medals.
Indian para-badminton players, including Paralympics medallists Suhas Yathiraj and Krishna Nagar, have made a strong start at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya. Suhas Yathiraj secured a straight-game victory in men's singles SL4, while Krishna Nagar also won his opening SH6 match. Other Indian shuttlers also registered wins across various categories, though some pairs faced defeats.
India's para-athletes concluded their Asian Para Games campaign with an unprecedented 114 medals, including 30 gold, marking their best performance to date. The final day was particularly successful, yielding nine gold medals across various disciplines. Notable achievements included world records set by Mona Agarwal in shooting, and Sandeep and Haney in athletics. Shuttlers Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar secured individual golds, while archer Harvinder Singh also contributed to the gold tally. The swimming contingent also exceeded expectations with 11 medals.
The Sports Ministry has removed para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal from India's Para Asian Games contingent following allegations of kickbacks and protests from athletes. The contingent of 166 athletes and 109 support staff is set to compete in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, starting October 18, with several prominent Paralympians included despite selection controversies.
India's medal tally at the Asian Para Games reached 88, with armless archer Sheetal Devi securing two gold medals. The para-athletics contingent was the largest contributor, while medals also came from swimming, badminton, and table tennis, showcasing a strong performance across multiple disciplines.
India faces a challenging Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a significantly smaller contingent of 168 athletes, down from 303. While aiming to build on its record 111-medal haul from the last Games, selection disputes in para-shooting and para-cycling, coupled with reduced athlete numbers in key disciplines like para-athletics, pose hurdles. Despite these challenges, star athletes across para-athletics, archery, para-badminton, shooting, and table tennis are expected to lead India's medal charge.
Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat clinched a gold medal in men's singles SL3 and a silver in men's doubles SL3-SU5 at the Japan Para Badminton International. Fellow Indian shuttler Sukant Kadam marked a significant career milestone by securing his 100th medal, alongside a silver in men's singles SL4 and men's doubles.
Indian para badminton star Pramod Bhagat clinched the men's singles SL3 gold medal at the British & Irish International, defeating compatriot Nitesh Kumar in the final. Bhagat also secured a bronze in mixed doubles. Tokyo Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar added a silver and two bronze medals to India's tally, highlighting a strong performance by the Indian contingent in Dublin.
Indian para-badminton players, including Tokyo Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar, delivered an outstanding performance at the French Para Badminton International, securing multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals across various categories.
Olympic silver medallist wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Paralympic bronze medallist high jumper Sharad Kumar have obtained interim relief from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in their petitions for regularisation of their ad-hoc services with the Delhi government. Both athletes, who resigned from previous stable positions, have been serving in temporary roles within the Directorate of Education for several years without regularisation.
Praveen Kumar, a para-athlete who overcame physical limitations to excel in high jump, will be awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian para sport. He is a Paralympic champion and Arjuna Award recipient.
A new book, "Heroes: The Changemakers of Indian Sports" by journalist-author Thirumoy Banerjee, chronicles the inspiring journeys of 15 Indian athletes, including Manu Bhaker, C A Bhavani Devi, Nikhat Zareen, Aman Kumar Kadyan, and Sumit Antil. It highlights their determination, resilience, and triumphs over setbacks, offering insights into their paths to success and celebrating their unwavering spirit.
National para archery coach Kuldeep Vedwan has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor athlete. The Fast Track Special Court in Sonipat convicted Vedwan under the POCSO Act, following allegations dating back to April 2023.
India's Nishad Kumar won the silver medal in men's high jump T46 event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday.
The Tokyo Paralympics slated to begin on August 24, will be Jhajharia's third Paralympics.
The bipartite slots came as a relief to India after the country's para powerlifting team couldn't participate at last month's Fazza -Dubai 2021 World Cup owing to travel restrictions to the United Arab Emirates.
India's para-badminton contingent shone brightly at the Indonesia Para-Badminton International, the pair of Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam, and four others clinching gold medals across categories to cap a dominant campaign.
Thangavelu had won the Rio Paralympics T-42 high jump gold by clearing 1.89m.
Her breakthrough came at the Tokyo Paralympics, where she claimed the first gold medal of the Games, smashing her own world record in the women's C1-3 3,000m individual pursuit. She followed it up with two bronze medals in the road race and time trial.
The medals tally at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Ace Indian paddler Bhavinaben Patel progressed to the Round of 16 in the women's singles Class 4 table tennis event with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Great Britain's Megan Shackleton at the Tokyo Paralympics on Thursday.
Reigning World champion Pramod Bhagat continued India's fine showing at the Tokyo Paralympics with a gold medal in the badminton SL3 class event, in Tokyo, on Saturday. The 33-year-old Bhagat, who is also the world No. 1 and current Asian champion, scored a 21-11, 21-16 win over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in the first SL3 class semi-final, which lasted 36 minutes.
Vijay Amritraj gets Padma Bhushan; Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur receive Padma Shri
Deepa Malik believes the country's medal count will be in double digits at the Tokyo Games next year.
Ace Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat continued his golden run as he clinch three titles at the 1st Abia Para Badminton International tournament held in Abia, Nigeria, from September 30 to October 5.
Bought ticket to see Neeraj in Paris: Dutch para world javelin champion Roorda
Bought ticket to see Neeraj in Paris: Dutch para world javelin champion Roorda
Left bed-ridden for close to 10 years after falling off a cliff, Indian discus thrower Vinod Kumar scripted an astonishing tale of resilience by clinching a bronze medal in the men's F52 event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday but a protest has put his celebrations on hold for now.
After defying medical advice and spending few hours at a Delhi hospital, Poland's Roza wins gold
Tokyo Paralympics gold medal winner Sumit Antil and Asian Para Games silver medalist Bhagyashree Jadhav will be Indian flag-bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics.
Paris Paralympic gold medallist Praveen Kumar had to settle for bronze in the men's T64 high jump at the Asian Para Games after clearing a season's best 2.00 metres.
Gurjar came up with his season's best effort of 61.22m to claim the top spot.
The ceremony is set in a 'Para Airport' -- a symbol of diversity and inclusion -- and began with a video that depicted the strength of para-athletes.
India is hoping to win more than 25 medals from its largest-ever contingent of 84 athletes at the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games beginning on August 28
Inspired by the achievements of Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, Avani transitioned to competitive shooting in 2015 and a decade later she has become a celebrated para shooter.
