Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal named India’s flag bearers for Asian Para Games closing ceremony
Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal will carry the Indian tricolour at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday. Both athletes finished the meet with two gold medals each.
Nishad’s golds came in para-athletics, starting with the men's long jump T47, which he won with a best effort of 7.11m despite making his international debut in the discipline, and followed by victory in the men's high jump T47, clearing 2.04m to set a new Games record. Mona opened India's medal account with gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1, producing a Games-record score of 250.0 points.
Nishad became only the third Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games, joining para-runner Ankur Dhama and armless archer Sheetal Devi. He is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist and a world champion, and his long jump success represented a successful transition into a new event before returning to the top of the podium in his speciality.
In the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final, Mona climbed from sixth place to claim the title, beating compatriot Avani Lekhara by 0.4 points; Avani, a two-time Paralympic champion, took silver to complete an India one-two finish. The 250.0 Games-record score separated the winner and runner-up by 0.4 points.
Mona added a second gold on Friday, October 23, by winning the women's 50m rifle 3 Positions SH1 with a world-record score of 357.5, bettering the previous world record of 356 set by Sweden's Anna Benson in July 2026. She had been a bronze medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
With two gold medals apiece, Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal will now lead India’s contingent at Saturday’s closing ceremony; their selection recognises a campaign in which both athletes combined consistency with record-breaking performances on the biggest stage.
