Nagoya has a new star this morning, and she is wearing Indian blue. Deepthi Jeevanji stormed to the women’s 400m T20 gold at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Tuesday, stopping the clock at 56.36 seconds and rewriting the Games record in the process. It was the kind of run that leaves the stadium a little quieter for a second, and then very loud.
- A title defended, a record rewritten
- India’s morning does not end here
- The classification, explained
- FAQs
- What was Deepthi Jeevanji’s winning time at the Asian Para Games 2026?
- How many medals has India won so far at the 2026 Asian Para Games?
- Had Deepthi Jeevanji won this title before?
- Which events are still to come for India on Day 2?
The 23-year-old from Telangana did not just win. She owned the race. Japan’s Niina Kanno took silver in 58.92 seconds, a full two seconds behind, while her compatriot Akane Kato claimed bronze in 1:00.26. By the final bend, the contest was already over. Jeevanji crossed the line with room to breathe, a broad smile spreading across her face before she even slowed down.
A title defended, a record rewritten
This gold carries extra weight because it was never hers to give up. Jeevanji won the same event at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022, and she arrived in Aichi-Nagoya with a target on her back and a Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze in her bag. She is also a two-time medallist at the Para World Championships, with gold from 2024, so the big stages do not surprise her anymore.
The final ran at 6:53 AM Indian time, and it turned out to be the perfect start to Day 2 for the Indian contingent. This was India’s fifth gold of the Games and the first medal of the morning, lifting the country’s tally to the 20-medal mark.
- Gold: Deepthi Jeevanji (India), 56.36 seconds, new Asian Para Games record
- Silver: Niina Kanno (Japan), 58.92 seconds
- Bronze: Akane Kato (Japan), 1:00.26
- India’s tally: fifth gold of the Games, 20 medals overall
India’s morning does not end here
Jeevanji’s gold set the tone, but the day had more medals brewing. Para table tennis star Bhavina Patel, a silver medallist at the 2020 Paralympics, picked up a bronze after going down 3-0 to China’s Zhang Bian in the women’s singles Class 4-5 semifinal.
In para badminton, the mixed SL3-SU5 pair of Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramdass assured India of another medal by sweeping into the semifinals, beating their Thai opponents 21-15, 21-14 in just 25 minutes. India’s para archers were in fine form too, with Harvinder Singh, Bhawna, Sheetal Devi, Payal Nag, Toman Kumar and Shyam Sunder Swami all advancing to the quarterfinals in their individual events.
And the afternoon promises fireworks. Two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar, who won the men’s long jump T47 gold on the opening day, contests the men’s high jump T45/T46/T47 final at 4:05 PM IST. Sprinter Preeti Pal goes in the women’s 200m T35 final at 3:23 PM IST. After 11 medals on Day 1, including four gold, India sat fourth in the overall standings. Tuesday is all about climbing that table.
The classification, explained
The T20 category in para athletics covers athletes with intellectual impairments, runners who face challenges with processing information, concentration and race strategy. Winning at this level demands not just raw speed but exceptional discipline, the ability to hold a race plan together at full sprint. Jeevanji’s two-second margin of victory said everything about how well she has mastered that.
FAQs
What was Deepthi Jeevanji’s winning time at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Jeevanji clocked 56.36 seconds in the women’s 400m T20 final in Nagoya, setting a new Asian Para Games record.
How many medals has India won so far at the 2026 Asian Para Games?
India crossed the 20-medal mark on Day 2, with Jeevanji’s gold being the country’s fifth gold of the Games. The contingent opened with 11 medals on Day 1, four of them gold.
Had Deepthi Jeevanji won this title before?
Yes. She won the women’s 400m T20 gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, so Tuesday’s win successfully defended her title. She also won bronze at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and gold at the 2024 Para World Championships.
Which events are still to come for India on Day 2?
The big ones to watch are Nishad Kumar’s men’s high jump final at 4:05 PM IST and Preeti Pal’s women’s 200m T35 final at 3:23 PM IST, along with para archery, para swimming, para powerlifting and para shooting medal rounds through the day.
For Jeevanji, the morning in Nagoya will be hard to top. A title defended, a record broken, and a whole stadium on its feet. Some athletes chase moments like this for a career. She made it look like a Tuesday.
