Simran, Praveen Kumar and Banti (PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a memorable Day 3 at the Asian Para Games 2026, with its athletics contingent leading the charge with five gold medals among 18 podium finishes to help the country swell its overall medal tally to 62 and climb to fifth in the standings.Sprinter Simran, high-jumper Praveen Kumar and shot-putter Sachin Khilari set new Games records in their respective events, while Dilip Gavit and Ayush Verma also struck gold as Indian athletes dominated the track and field competitions in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday.
India's overall tally stood at 14 gold, 22 silver and 26 bronze medals, with athletics accounting for 13 gold, 14 silver and 15 bronze. Beyond athletics, India also added medals in para-archery, para-swimming and powerlifting, while the badminton contingent assured itself of further podium finishes.
Simran's record-breaking double, Gavit and Praveen shine
Simran was among India's standout performers, winning the women's 100m T12 gold in a Games-record time of 12.02 seconds. The visually impaired sprinter had also claimed the women's 200m T12 gold with a Games record on Tuesday, completing a memorable sprint double.She finished ahead of Iran's Hajar Safarzadeh, who clocked 12.30 seconds, while Indonesia's Made Ni Putri took bronze in 12.51 seconds.Dilip Gavit won the men's 100m T47 gold in 10.69 seconds, leading a one-two finish for India.
Mohammed Morssinganakath Basil took silver in 10.72 seconds, a Games record, while China's Kangjun Shi secured bronze in 10.80 seconds.Praveen Kumar won gold in the men's high jump T44/64 event with a Games-record performance, while Sachin Khilari claimed the top spot in the men's shot put F46. Ayush Verma also won gold in the men's shot put F53 event.India collected four athletics silver medals in the morning session through Banti in the men's high jump T44/64, Bhagyashri Jadhav in the women's shot put F34, Mohd Yasser in the men's shot put F46 and Manjeet in the men's javelin F12/13.The bronze medallists included Anubhav Choudhary in the men's 100m T35, Parveen in the men's shot put F46 and Rakeshbhai Bhatt in the men's 100m T37.
Preethi Pal adds second silver; athletics haul reaches 42
Preethi Pal continued her impressive campaign by winning silver in the women's 100m T35, adding to the silver she claimed in the 200m T35 on Tuesday. The double bronze medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics was among three Indian athletes to have won two medals at the Games so far.India's athletics contingent had accumulated 42 medals by Wednesday, keeping it on course for its ambitious target of winning medals in 60 of the 62 events it is contesting.
Sheetal Devi, swimmers and powerlifter add to India's tally
Armless compound archer Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag won silver in the women's doubles event after losing to China in the final.In para-swimming, visually impaired Ravi Kartik Budigina secured his second silver of the Games, finishing runner-up in the men's 100m backstroke S13 in 1:10.10.
Himanshu Nandal also won his second medal, taking bronze in the men's 100m breaststroke S11 in 1:20.72.Powerlifter Kasthuri Rajamani claimed silver in the women's 67kg category, marking the biggest achievement of her career.In badminton, India's men's singles SL4 campaign was guaranteed at least three medals after defending champion Suhas L Y, Naveen Sivakumar and Abhijeet Sakhuja advanced to the semifinals.
The SL4 classification covers athletes with moderate lower-limb impairments.Krishna Nagar and Sivarajan Solaimalai secured silver in the men's doubles SH6 category. With four pairs competing in a single group, medals were awarded according to the final group standings rather than through knockout matches.
India builds momentum with more medals in sight
India's strong showing across disciplines has strengthened its position in the overall standings, with athletics providing the biggest boost. The five gold medals won on Wednesday took the country's gold tally to 14, while the overall count reached 62.With more competition remaining before the event concludes on Saturday, India will look to build on its momentum and add to its medal haul across athletics, badminton, swimming and other disciplines.