India's para athletes turned Tuesday into one of their best days in Japan, winning five gold medals on Day 2 of the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya. Discus thrower Pranav Soorma broke an Asian record, high jumper Nishad Kumar set a Games record, and sprinters Deepthi Jeevanji and Simran Sharma won on the track as India's medal count jumped to 35 in just two days of competition.
The haul of 24 medals in a single day – five gold, six silver and 13 bronze – lifted India to sixth on the medals table, with archery star Sheetal Devi also booking her place in the women's individual compound final.
India's golden Tuesday
Pranav Soorma's Asian record
Pranav Soorma, the Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist in club throw, led an Indian one-two in the men's discus F51/F52/F53. His throw of 11.66 metres was a new Asian record, while teammate Ram Ratan Singh took silver with 10.35 metres. For a field event that rarely gets prime-time attention, it was a statement result.
Nishad Kumar wins his second gold
Two-time Paralympic medallist Nishad Kumar cleared 2.04 metres to win the men's high jump T47, setting a new Games record. It was his second gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya, underlining why he remains one of India's most consistent para athletes.
Deepthi and Simran rule the track
Deepthi Jeevanji, the Telangana runner who has become a fixture on world podiums, won the women's 400m T20 in 56.36 seconds, a Games record. Simran Sharma added another gold in the women's 200m T12, while Tejalben Damor picked up bronze in the same event.
India's fifth gold also came in athletics, which once again carried the contingent's medal hopes on a day when the stadium belonged to the throwers and sprinters.
Silver and bronze across sports
The silver medals were spread across several disciplines. Shooter Manish Narwal took silver in the men's 10m air pistol SH1, powerlifter Ashok lifted 192kg for silver in the men's up to 65kg class, Pradeep Kumar finished second in the men's javelin F53/F54, and Preethi Pal won silver in the women's 200m T35.
Bronze medals came from athletics, shooting, swimming and table tennis. Shrishti Arora won bronze in the women's 10m air pistol SH1, Ayush Verma in the men's javelin F53/F54 and Praveen Sharma in the men's shot put F11. In the pool, Himanshu Nandal took bronze in the men's 400m freestyle S11 and Niranjan Mukundan in the men's 200m individual medley SM7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nandal on his medal in a message released by the PMO.
Para table tennis delivered a cluster of bronzes through Sonalben Patel, Bhavina Patel, Prachi Pandey, Baby Sahana Ravi and Jehan Madan.
India's Day 2 at a glance
| Venue | Aichi-Nagoya, Japan |
| Day 2 medals | 24 (5 gold, 6 silver, 13 bronze) |
| Overall tally after Day 2 | 35 (9 gold, 11 silver, 15 bronze) |
| Position on medals table | 6th |
| Record breakers | Pranav Soorma (Asian record, 11.66m), Nishad Kumar (Games record, 2.04m) |
| Other gold medallists | Deepthi Jeevanji (400m T20), Simran Sharma (200m T12) |
| Into finals | Sheetal Devi (compound individual), Sheetal-Payal Nag (compound doubles), Harvinder Singh-Vijay Sundi (recurve doubles) |
Sheetal Devi in sight of more gold
The archery range could add more shine to India's campaign. Sheetal Devi beat Japan's Aya Shinohara 145-137 in the semi-final of the women's individual compound event to reach the gold-medal match. She is also through to the women's compound doubles final with Payal Nag after a 151-135 semi-final win. In the men's recurve doubles, Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi have reached the final too.
In para badminton, Nitesh Kumar, Pramod Bhagat and Sanjana Kumari won their singles quarter-finals. The one disappointment of the day was in blind football, where India's men lost 0-5 to Iran in the preliminary round.
Why it matters
India sent a 168-member contingent to Japan with a target of 100 medals. After two days, the team already has more than a third of that number, and the strongest disciplines – archery, badminton and more athletics finals – are still to come. A big Day 2 also shows the depth that has built up since the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, with medals coming not just from established names but from first-time podium finishers in table tennis and swimming.
What's next for India
The next few days bring the compound archery finals, the recurve doubles final and the badminton knockouts, along with more athletics medal events. If Sheetal Devi converts her final and the badminton players hold their form, India could push well past the 40-medal mark soon.
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