Suvarna Raj wins women's F54 discus gold at Asian Para Games in Nagoya

Suvarna Raj clinched the gold medal in the women's F54 discus throw at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Thursday (October 22, 2026), registering a best effort of 15.66m.

She produced the winning mark on her fifth attempt and had four throws beyond 15.00m across her six attempts. The 44-year-old from Greater Noida is coached by Pintu Nagar.

Suvarna began para athletics in 2017 and competes as a wheelchair user. She has represented India at three Asian Para Games and at several international competitions. She is ranked second in Asia in the F54 discus throw.

Iran's Shahla Hadidi earned the silver medal with a throw of 15.45m, while Vietnam's Thi Ngoc Thuy Nguyen took bronze with 14.65m.

Earlier in 2026 Suvarna won bronze in the women's F54/55 discus at the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix, held as the 17th Fazza International Para Athletics Championship. At the Canberra Track Meet in January she secured gold in discus and silver in shot put.

She received the National Youth Award from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2015 and works as an accessibility specialist and disability rights advocate. Suvarna has conducted more than 1,000 accessibility audits across India and served as the Election Commission of India's brand ambassador for accessible elections.

Her training and competition expenses are supported under the government's Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC), with financial assistance of ₹7,70,607.

The F54 classification covers seated field athletes with impairments affecting trunk and lower-limb function. Athletes in this class compete from a throwing chair and rely primarily on upper-body strength and arm movement to generate power, with limitations in trunk control influencing their throwing technique.