India's Athletes Excel at the 2026 Asian Para Games

Indian Athletes Shine at 2026 Asian Para Games

On Day 5 of the 2026 Asian Para Games, Indian athletes Thulasimathi Murugesan, Parmod, and the women's recurve doubles team of Bhawna and Pooja secured silver medals. Thulasimathi faced China's Qiuxia Yang in the women's singles SU5 final, ultimately losing with scores of 18-21 and 11-21. Parmod successfully defended his silver medal in the men's 1500m T46 event, finishing with a time of 4:09.65. In the para archery event, Bhawna and Pooja were defeated by the Chinese duo, losing the gold medal match with scores of 31-38, 30-35, and 29-39. With these achievements, India's medal tally reached 91, comprising 21 gold, 29 silver, and 41 bronze, placing them fourth overall, while China led with a total of 319 medals.

Athlete Profiles and Performance

Thulasimathi Murugesan, born on April 11, 2002, in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, began her athletic journey at the age of five before transitioning to badminton. She was born with a congenital deformity in her left hand, which resulted in the loss of her thumb, and she also suffers from chronic ulnar neuritis and muscle atrophy. An accident further limited her left hand's mobility. Her father, D. Murugesan, dedicated five years to her training, introducing her to para-sports. Notable achievements include a silver medal in women's doubles at the 2024 World Championships and a gold medal in women's doubles at the 2023 Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International, along with medals from the 2022 Asian Para Games.

Parmod, aged 26, replicated his silver-medal finish from the 2022 Hangzhou Games in the men's 1500m T46 event, clocking in at 4:09.65. In the women's recurve doubles final, Bhawna and Pooja struggled against the precision of their Chinese opponents, who averaged 9.33 points per arrow compared to India's 7.50, leading to a straight-set defeat.

Upcoming Medal Opportunities

As Day 5 progresses, India has numerous chances to enhance their medal tally, with competitions in para badminton, para athletics, para swimming, para archery, para powerlifting, and shooting para sport. Key events include Naveen Sivakumar's men's singles SL4 final and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan's women's singles SH6 final in para badminton. Thulasimathi will team up with Nitesh Kumar for the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final against Indonesia's Leani Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani. In para archery, Harvinder Singh and Bhawna Choudhary are set to compete in the recurve mixed team semifinal against China's Zhao Lixue and Wang Xueqian, with a potential medal match to follow if they advance. Additionally, India will rely on their top para-athletes in the men's javelin finals, featuring Sumit Antil, Sandip Sargar, and Mahendra Gurjar in the F42-F44/F61-F64 event, while Pranav Soorma, Dharambir Nain, and Amit Kumar Saroha will compete in the men's club throw F51 final.