Nagoya was still waking up when India’s para athletes made their first statement of the Asian Para Games 2026. By the time the sun set on Monday, October 19, the Indian contingent had stacked up 11 medals, four of them gold, and planted itself firmly in the top four of the medals table. For a contingent that arrived in Aichi-Nagoya with an ambitious 100-medal target, the opening day could hardly have been scripted better.
The day began with a gold and silver in the same shooting final and never really slowed down. Shooters, jumpers, runners, judokas and a teenage archer with a world record all took turns putting India on the scoreboard. Here is how Day 1 unfolded, and what to watch on Tuesday.
Mona’s golden morning sets the tone
The first medals of India’s campaign came from the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 final at the Aichi shooting gallery, and they came in a heap. Mona Agarwal, the Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medallist, held her nerve to shoot 250.0 points and claim gold, edging out compatriot Avani Lekhara by just 0.4 points.
Lekhara, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, finished on 249.6 for silver, while South Korea’s Lee Yunri took bronze. What made the morning special was that Mona’s score also set a new Asian Para Games record, bettering the previous mark of 249.6 that Lekhara herself had set at Hangzhou 2023. The prime minister congratulated both shooters on X, praising Mona’s precision and composure and Lekhara’s consistency.
An all-Indian one-two in the opening shooting event was the perfect start. But the track was about to get louder.
Nishad, Rinku and Soumya complete a golden hat-trick in athletics
Two-time Paralympic medallist Nishad Kumar did something remarkable: in his very first international long jump competition, he won gold. Better known for his high jump medals, Nishad switched to the long jump T47 event and leapt 7.11 metres to take the top of the podium.
The javelin runway then delivered another gold. Rinku claimed the men’s javelin throw F46 title, with teammate Ajeet Singh Yadav taking silver in the same event, another Indian one-two. On the track, Soumya stormed to gold in the women’s 1500m T12/T13, while Radha Venkatesh added silver in the same race and Ravanni Valasanaini picked up bronze in the T11 category.
Sheetal Devi equals the world record
The most eye-catching number of the day came from the archery range. Sixteen-year-old Sheetal Devi, the armless archer who has become one of the faces of Indian para sport, matched the world record in the women’s compound qualification round with a score of 704 out of 720.
A 704 is the kind of score that usually only appears in the deepest rounds of a world championship. Sheetal now goes into the elimination rounds as one of the archers to beat, and anything she wins from here is a bonus on top of a historic day.
The full medal haul from Day 1
- Gold: Mona Agarwal (shooting, women’s 10m air rifle SH1), Nishad Kumar (athletics, men’s long jump T47), Rinku (athletics, men’s javelin F46), Soumya (athletics, women’s 1500m T12/T13)
- Silver: Avani Lekhara (shooting, women’s 10m air rifle SH1), Ajeet Singh Yadav (athletics, men’s javelin F46), Radha Venkatesh (athletics, women’s 1500m T12/T13), Kokila (para judo, women’s J2 -52kg), Ravi Karthik Budigina (para swimming, men’s 100m freestyle S13)
- Bronze: Ravanni Valasanaini (athletics, women’s 1500m T11), Kapil Parmar (para judo, men’s J1 -70kg)
With four gold, five silver and two bronze, India sat fourth in the standings behind China, Japan and Uzbekistan when the Day 1 action closed.
What to watch on Tuesday, October 20
Day 2 could be even bigger. Paris 2024 silver medallist Manish Narwal goes in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 final, one of India’s most bankable shooting bets. Sprinter Simran Sharma, a Paris 2024 bronze medallist, targets gold in the women’s 200m T12 final.
Para archery elimination rounds also begin in the morning, with Sheetal Devi and the compound squad in action, while para athletics, badminton, swimming, judo, powerlifting and table tennis all offer more medal chances through the day.
FAQs
How many medals did India win on Day 1 of the Asian Para Games 2026?
India won 11 medals on the opening day: four gold, five silver and two bronze, placing the contingent fourth in the medals table.
Who won India’s first gold medal at the Games?
Shooter Mona Agarwal won India’s first gold of the Asian Para Games 2026 in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, scoring 250.0 points to set a new Asian Para Games record.
Which Indian athlete matched a world record on Day 1?
Para-archer Sheetal Devi matched the women’s compound world record with a qualification-round score of 704 out of 720.
Where are the Asian Para Games 2026 being held?
The Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. India has set itself a target of 100 medals at this edition.
Day 1 gave India exactly the start it wanted: records, comebacks, and medals spread across shooting, athletics, judo and swimming. If Tuesday follows the same script, the 100-medal dream gets a lot more real. Follow Informeia’s sports desk for Day 2 updates as they happen.
