Nagoya, Oct 24:
India finished their para-athletics campaign at the Asian Para Games with a record 65 medals, including 22 gold, 19 silver and 24 bronze, after a strong final day of competition in Nagoya, Japan. The tally was 12 more than the 53 medals won in the discipline at the previous edition in Hangzhou.
Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil was among India’s four gold medallists on Friday. He successfully defended his title in the men’s javelin throw combined F42-44/F61-64 event with an effort of 72.46 metres. Pranav Soorma won gold in the men’s club throw F51, while Sandeep and Haney also claimed top honours in their respective events.
Sandeep set a world record of 52.28 seconds to win the men’s 400m T64 final, while Haney produced a world-record throw of 60.49 metres in the men’s javelin F37/38 event. India also collected several silver and bronze medals, including silver for Mahendra Gurjar in the javelin and Nimisha Chakkungalparambil in the women’s long jump T47.
China topped the para-athletics medal table with 98 medals, including 54 gold, followed by Uzbekistan with 64 and hosts Japan with 51. India’s 65-medal finish marked a significant improvement on its previous performance and reflected the contribution of both established champions and emerging athletes.