Asian Para Games Day 4: Sheetal Devi wins two golds as India reaches 88 medals, 12 short of 100
India moved to 88 medals on Day 4 of the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan, holding fourth place overall, while Sheetal Devi secured two golds to underline India’s strong showing.
The Indian contingent’s total stands at 88 medals — 21 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze — after a day that produced India’s first-ever medal in a women’s W1 archery event, an Asian record in the long jump and a clean sweep in the men’s high jump. The Day 4 programme delivered multiple podium finishes across para-athletics, para-archery and para-swimming that added 26 medals to India’s tally.
In para-archery, debutant Swati Chaudhary won India’s first-ever medal in the Women’s W1 Individual event, taking silver after a 4–6 defeat to China’s Mengkan Cen in the final. Sheetal Devi partnered Toman Kumar to claim gold in the Para Compound Mixed Team final, defeating Indonesia’s Teodora Audi A. Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151–148.
Para-athletics produced several highlights: Suvarna Raj won the Women’s Discus Throw F54 with a mark of 15.66m; Tejalben Damor took silver in the Women’s 400m T12 in 57.60 seconds, ending her campaign with one silver and one bronze. The Men’s 400m T47 was reported as a double-podium for India with Anjanaben Bumbadiya taking gold in 59.97 and Jayanti Behera silver in 1:00.65, and Dilip Mahadu Gavit was also recorded as winning the Men’s 400m T47 in 48.27 seconds.
India replicated its 2022 success with a podium sweep in the Men’s High Jump T42/T63 as Shailesh Kumar cleared 1.89m to set a new Games Record, Varun Singh Bhati took silver at 1.84m and Rahul won bronze at 1.81m. Solairaj Dharmaraj won the Men’s Long Jump T44/T62/T64 with a leap of 7.15m, recorded as a new Asian Record and noted as bettering his previous 7.08m mark from 2025; he had also been a gold medallist in 2022.
In the pool, Kapil Kumar earned silver in the Men’s 400m Freestyle S10 in 4:38.44; Swatik Patil won bronze in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB9 in 1:13.77; and Tejas Nandkumar added a bronze in the Men’s 100m Backstroke S7 in 1:18.58, improving on his sixth-place finish at the 2022 edition.
India secured 26 medals on Day 4 of competition, including seven golds on Thursday, bringing the overall count to 88 medals — 21 golds, 26 silvers and 41 bronzes — leaving the team 12 medals short of the 100-mark referenced in the day’s coverage.
Reflecting on the performance and the current medal tally, Mr. Satyanarayan, head coach of Team India, said, "Reaching 88 medals is a proud moment for the entire Indian contingent and reflects the determination, discipline and relentless efforts of our athletes. "Their performances across disciplines, including record-breaking achievements and historic milestones, demonstrate the growing strength of Indian para-sports. "Every medal represents countless hours of hard work and the collective commitment of our athletes, coaches and support staff. With the momentum we have built, we aim to cross the 100-medal mark and conclude the Games on an even stronger note."