Asian Para Games 2026: Avani Lekhara, Sheetal Devi and Harvinder Singh Lead India's Day 1 Charge
Avani Lekhara, Sheetal Devi, and Harvinder Singh lead India's charge on Day 1 of the Asian Para Games 2026. Check the full schedule here.
India is all set to launch a high-octane medal hunt at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. With a powerhouse contingent featuring Paralympic legends and world champions, the Indian squad aims to make an immediate impact on the continental stage. Day 1 promises to be a whirlwind of action across multiple disciplines, including para archery, shooting, badminton, and table tennis.
The Heavyweights Ready for Action
India's hopes for early podium finishes are pinned on several seasoned campaigners. In the realm of para shooting, the phenomenal Avani Lekhara is expected to be a primary catalyst in adding to the gold tally. Meanwhile, the precision-based discipline of para archery will see the experienced Harvinder Singh and the sensation Sheetal Devi, alongside Payal Nag, beginning their quest for glory.
The athletics contingent is equally formidable, boasting Paralympic medallists Nishad Kumar and Ajeet Singh Yadav, as well as world champion Rinku Hooda. Beyond these stars, India is eyeing strong breakthroughs in para swimming and para powerlifting, where athletes have undergone rigorous preparation to convert their hard work into medals.
Day 1: The Full Indian Schedule (October 19)
The first day of competition is packed with events starting in the early hours of the morning. Here is the detailed breakdown of when India's athletes will be in action:
Para Archery (04:30 AM)
- Men's Recurve: Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi (Individual, Doubles, and Mixed Ranking Round)
- Women's Compound: Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag (Individual, Doubles, and Mixed Ranking Round)
- Women's W1: Swati Chaudhary (Individual and Mixed Ranking Round)
Para Badminton
- 05:30 AM: Nitesh Kumar / Thulasimathi Murugesan vs Chen Pengfei / Huang Zixuan (China) - Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5
- 05:35 AM: Ruthick Ragupathi / Manasi Joshi vs Khian Urbano / Kathleen Pedrosa (Philippines) - Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5
- 06:00 AM: Prem Kumar Ale vs Muhammad Bin Ramli (Malaysia) - Men's Singles WH1
- 06:15 AM: Sudarsan Muthusamy vs Dimas Tri Aji (Indonesia) - Men's Singles SH6
- 06:20 AM: Krishna Nagar vs Lin Naili (China) - Men's Singles SH6
- 07:00 AM: Sivarajan Solaimalai vs Faiq Zali (Brunei) - Men's Singles SH6
- 07:05 AM: Pramod Bhagat vs Lee Seunghu (South Korea) - Men's Singles SL3
- 07:45 AM: Naveen Sivakumar vs Sunwoo Jeon (South Korea) - Men's Singles SL4
- 07:45 AM: Umesh Kumar vs Yi Yuzhe (China) - Men's Singles SL3
- 07:50 AM: Sukant Kadam vs Sanjeewa Madduma (Sri Lanka) - Men's Singles SL4
Para Shooting (06:30 AM)
- Men's R1 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1: Swaroop Unhalkar, Rakesh Nidagundi, and Anandha Krishnan (Qualification)
- Women's R2 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1: Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal (Qualification)
Para Table Tennis
- 06:35 AM: Baby Sahana Ravi vs Altynay Yerzhankyzy (Kazakhstan) - Women's Singles Class 9
- 06:35 AM: Sonalben Patel vs Chao Pei-hsi (Chinese Taipei) - Women's Singles Class 3
- 07:30 AM: Ekta Bhyan vs Eun Hee Kim (South Korea) - Women's Singles Class 1
- 08:50 AM: Savita Ajjanakatti vs Asako Kurashimo (Japan) - Women's Singles Class 8
- 08:50 AM: Jehan Madan vs Hyeonuk Kim (South Korea) - Men's Singles Class 1
- 08:50 AM: Sandeep Dangi vs Rakan Al-Salmi (Saudi Arabia) - Men's Singles Class 1
- 08:50 AM: Prachi Pandey vs Kanokporn Phathumchai (Thailand) - Women's Singles Class 6
Other Key Events
- Boccia (07:05 AM): Anjali Devi vs Choi Ye Jin (South Korea) and Sachin Chamaria vs Kazuki Takahashi (Japan)
- Para Cycling (07:19 AM): Arshad Shaikh in Men's C1-2 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying
- Para Swimming (07:32 AM): Swatik Patil in Men's 200m Individual Medley SM9 Heats