India's para athletes had their best day yet at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. On Thursday, October 22, the contingent added 26 medals, including seven golds, to take the overall tally to 88 medals: 21 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze. India sit fourth on the table, and the target of 100 medals now looks well within reach.
The day had a bit of everything: a clean sweep of the high jump podium, a new Asian record in the long jump, a Games record, and Sheetal Devi defending two archery titles.
Medal table after Day 4
| Rank | Country (Gold-Silver-Bronze, Total) |
| 1 | China (150-79-85, 314) |
| 2 | Japan (40-46-50, 136) |
| 3 | Uzbekistan (38-41-41, 120) |
| 4 | India (21-26-41, 88) |
| 5 | South Korea (21-23-26, 70) |
| India's Day 4 haul | 26 medals: 7 gold, 4 silver, 15 bronze |
The big moments of the day
High jump sweep and a Games record
The men's high jump T42/T63 turned into an all-Indian podium for the second Asian Para Games in a row. Shailesh Kumar won gold with a leap of 1.89m, a new Games record. Varun Singh Bhati took silver at 1.84m, and Rahul completed the sweep with bronze at 1.81m. Seeing three Indian flags rise together has become a familiar sight in this event, and it remains one of the strongest areas of India's para athletics programme.
Solairaj Dharmaraj breaks his own Asian record
In the men's long jump T44/T62/T64, Solairaj Dharmaraj leapt 7.15m to win gold. That mark is a new Asian record, beating his own previous best of 7.08m set in 2025. His win also brought up India's 20th gold of these Games.
Sheetal Devi retains two titles
Archer Sheetal Devi showed again why she is one of the most-watched para athletes in the country. She retained her women's individual compound title and then teamed up with Toman Kumar to defend the compound mixed team gold, beating Indonesia 151-148 in the final.
There was history in archery too. Swati Chaudhary won silver in the women's W1 individual event after losing 4-6 to China's Mengkan Cen in the final. It is India's first-ever medal in that category.
More golds on the track and in the field
Suvarna Raj won gold in the women's discus throw F54 with a best effort of 15.66m, improving on her 2022 showing. On the track, the 400m T47 races brought golds for Anjanaben Bumbadiya and Dilip Mahadu Gavit, with Gavit picking up his second gold of the Games. Jayanti Behera added a silver in the 400m T47, while Tejalben Damor won silver in the women's 400m T12.
Pool and court medals
In para swimming, Kapil Kumar took silver in the men's 400m freestyle S10 in 4:38.44. Swatik Patil (100m breaststroke SB9) and Tejas Nandakumar (100m backstroke S7) both won bronze, with Tejas improving sharply on his sixth-place finish from the last edition.
Para badminton players added a string of bronze medals, with names such as Manisha Ramadass, Suhas Yathiraj, Krishna Nagar, Nithya Sre and Pramod Bhagat on the podium in singles and mixed doubles events.
There was one disappointment. A silver in the men's 400m T47 was later taken away after a lane-infringement disqualification, a reminder of how small the margins are at this level.
Why this matters for Indian sport
India went into these Games with a 168-member squad and an openly stated goal of 100 medals. Reaching 88 by the end of Day 4 puts the contingent on course to meet that target and possibly challenge its best-ever total. Team head coach Satyanarayan called reaching 88 medals "a proud moment for the entire Indian contingent" and said he hoped the team would cross the 100 mark before the Games end.
Beyond numbers, the results show depth. Medals are coming from athletics, archery, swimming and badminton, and not just from one or two star names. Young athletes are also stepping up alongside established Paralympic medallists, which bodes well for the LA 2028 Paralympics cycle.
What's next: Day 5 to watch
Friday, October 23 brings more medal chances, especially in para badminton. Key matches include:
- Women's singles SU5 final featuring Thulasimathi Murugesan.
- Men's singles SL3 final, an all-Indian clash between Pramod Bhagat and Nitesh Kumar, which guarantees India a gold and a silver.
- Men's singles SL4 gold medal match involving Naveen Sivakumar.
- Mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final.
With the all-Indian SL3 final alone assuring two more medals, India's count should move into the 90s on Friday. ViralDose will keep tracking the medal table through the rest of the Games.
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