Nagoya, Oct 23: India's Haney and Sandeep won the gold medals with world record shows in the men's javelin throw F37/38 and men's 400m T64, respectively, at the Asian Para Games here on Friday.
Haney clinched the gold medal with a throw of 60.49 m, setting a new world record in the T37 category and scoring 1,116 Raza points. Iran's Hormoz Seidikazpounji bagged silver with a personal best of 50.68m (1009 points) and China's Yu Chengjie claimed bronze with an Asian record 53.66m (943 points).
Haney, who has been living with spasticity and weakness on the left side of his body since childhood, has also won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games, held in 2023, setting an Asian record in javelin throw.
Debutant Sandeep clinched the gold medal in Men’s 400m T64 with a timing of 52.28s, setting a new world record in the T44 category. Saudi Arabia's Nour Alsana won silver with the season's best timing of 53.13. In the same event, Ajay Kumar secured the bronze medal with a timing of 53.61s.
Sandeep began his journey in para-athletics in 2020. His efforts soon paid off when he won his first medal at the Para National Games held in Bengaluru in 2021. He also won the bronze in 200m T44 at the World Para Athletics Championships, New Delhi 2025. He also has gold in 100m T44, which he won at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2026.
Meanwhile, Nimisha Chakkungalparambil Suresh won a silver medal in the women's long jump T47 with the best jump of 5.37 m, scoring 818 Raza points.
Nimisha made an impressive international debut at the Fazza World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai in February 2021, winning the gold medal in the women's long jump F46/47 with a jump of 5.25 metres.
She also represented India at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, gaining experience against a strong international field. Her most prominent achievement came at the fourth Asian Para Games in Hangzhou (officially the 2022 edition, held in October 2023). She won the gold medal in the women's long jump T47 event, contributing to India's historic medal-winning campaign.
--IANS