Asian Para Games
Nagoya, Oct 19: India were off to a spectacular start at the Asian Para Games with medals, including four gold, pouring in from four different sports following assured performances by established names like wheelchair-bound shooter Mona Agarwal and long jumper Nishad Kumar here on Monday.
Armless archer Sheetal Devi also produced a statement performance as she equalled the world record in the women’s compound qualification round before combining with Rakesh Kumar to set a new world mark in the mixed team event.
In all, India collected 11 medals — four gold, five silver and two bronze — to be fourth in the overall standings.
The medal rush began quite early in the day with Mona staging a stirring comeback in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) final to beat compatriot Avani Lekhara for the gold.
Mona, a bronze-medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, climbed from sixth place to set an Asian Para Games record of 250.0, edging two-time Paralympic champion Avani by a mere 0.4 points.
The 24-year-old Avani, who entered as the defending champion, settled for the silver with 249.6.
Her medal also secured India a second quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, with Mona having already earned one at the World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) World Championships in Changwon, South Korea last month where she won a silver.
Mona set the pace in qualification, topping the eight-shooter field with 629.1 to establish an Asian Para Games qualification record. Avani was second with 626.4.
The evening belonged to the para-athletics competitors with two-time Paralympic silver-winner Nishad Kumar, middle-distance runner Soumya, and javelin thrower Rinku finishing on top in their respective competitions.
For Nishad, it was a very special performance as he was competing in an international long jump event for the first time in his career. Nishad, whose right arm was severed by a grass-cutting machine in an accident when he was a mere six, leapt 7.11m to claim the top spot.
In the women’s 1500m T12/T13 event, the visually impaired Soumya clocked a personal best of 5:12.39sec to win the gold ahead of compatriot Venkatesh Radha (5:30.90sec).
In the most severe category of T11 for the visually impaired, India’s Ravanni Valasanaini ended with a bronze after the original third-place finisher Rakshitha Raju was disqualified for a technical violation that covers non-compliance in relation to clothing, shoes, and bibs.
In the F46 men’s javelin throw, India dominated a three-man field with Rinku and Ajeet Singh bagging the gold and silver with efforts of 65.11m and 65.02m respectively. It was a season’s best throw for both the Indians.
F46 classification is for athletes with a single amputation below or above the elbow, moderately affected movement in one or both arms, or any equivalent upper-limb impairments.
Judokas shine bright
India’s visually-impaired judokas snared two medals with Kokila winning a silver in the women’s J2 -52kg category and Kapil Parmar clinching a bronze in the men’s J1 -70kg division.
Hangzhou Asian Para Games bronze-medallist Kokila lost to Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy in the final.
Kapil, who won a silver in the previous edition of the Games, fought for bronze this time after going down in the semifinal to another Indonesian Junaedi 0-1.
In the playoff against another Indonesian Ahnaf Rafli Shidqi, Kapil prevailed 1-0.
Judokas with visual impairments contest under the J1 and J2 classifications.
J2 judokas have visual impairment but generally retain more functional vision than J1 athletes, who could be completely blind.
Silver in swimming
India’s Ravi Karthik Budigina won silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S13 event, clocking 56.68 seconds. The S13 classification is for athletes with a minor vision impairment.
Medals assured in TT and badminton
Paralympic silver-medallist Bhavina Patel was among the Indian table tennis players who advanced to the semifinals on Monday, ensuring medals in three different classes for the country.
Prachi Pandey battled past Thailand’s Kanokporn Phathumchai to enter the last four of the women’s Class 6 event, while Sonalben defeated Thailand’s Dararat Asayut in Class 3. Bhavina also secured a semifinal berth in Class 4-5 with a win over China’s Zhang Miao.
Prachi, who has a neuro-degenerative disease, beat Phathumchai 11-5, 11-4, 11-13, 12-10 in her second group match to assure India of a first-ever Para Asiad medal in Class 6.
Class 6 is a standing category for athletes with severe impairments in both arms and legs.
Sonalben beat Dararat 3-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5) in women’s singles Class 3 quarterfinal. Class 3 is a wheelchair category for athletes with poor sitting balance and limited trunk control, but normal or near-normal arm and hand function.
Bhavina, a former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, underlined her credentials with a 3-1 (8-11, 11-6, 11-1, 11-6) quarterfinal win over Zhang in the Class 4-5 category. Class 4-5 is for athletes with physical impairments who compete while seated.
At the badminton court, the Indian combination of Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan was assured of a mixed doubles medal after topping SL3-SU5 Group B with an unbeaten run to enter the semifinals.
The Indian pair got a walkover from China’s Yang Jianyuan and Yang Qiuxia in its first match. They then defeated China’s Chen Pengfei and Huang Zixuan 21-4, 21-18 in just 23 minutes at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium to finish atop the group standings.
Paris Paralympics champion Nitesh also registered a comfortable victory in the men’s singles SL3 event, beating South Korea’s Joo Dongjae 21-13, 21-15 in Group A.
Ruthick Ragupathi added to India’s winning run with a 21-12, 21-12 victory over Thailand’s Somsiri Pricha in the men’s singles SU5 Group C match.
In para-badminton, SL3 is for players with significant lower-limb impairment who compete on half a court, while SU5 is for players with upper-limb impairment. (PTI)