Asian Para Games 2026: Nishad Kumar and Preeti Pal Lead India's Charge on Day 2
Nishad Kumar and Preeti Pal lead a massive Indian contingent eyeing more gold on Day 2 of the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan.
After a thunderous start to their campaign, Indian para-athletes are gearing up to maintain their momentum on Day 2 of the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Coming off a stellar opening day where India secured 11 medals—including four gold, five silver, and two bronze—the contingent currently holds a strong fourth position in the overall medal standings.
With a massive array of talent competing across multiple disciplines, India is eyeing a significant addition to its tally on Tuesday. From the track and pool to the shooting range and archery field, the Indian contingent is poised for another high-voltage day of competition.
Para Athletics: The High-Stakes Showdown
The spotlight will shine brightly on two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar. Having already tasted victory with a gold in the men’s long jump T47 on Day 1, Nishad returns to the field for the men’s high jump T45/T46/T47 final at 4:05 PM IST.
Joining him in the quest for glory is Preeti Pal, who will compete in the women’s 200m T35 final at 3:23 PM IST. The athletics schedule is packed with other key contenders:
- Early Morning Action: Ayush Verma and Pradeep Kumar (Men's Javelin F53/F54) at 5:40 AM IST; Rakesh Bhai Bhatt (Men's Long Jump T37/T38) at 5:45 AM IST.
- Morning Strength: Praveen Sharma (Men's Shot Put F11) at 6:30 AM IST; Parveen Kumar (Men's Discus Throw F57) at 6:35 AM IST; and Deepthi Jeevanji (Women's 400m T20) at 6:53 AM IST.
- Afternoon Power: Suchitra Parida (Women's Javelin F55/F56) at 1:35 PM IST; Pranav Soorma and Ram Ratan Singh (Men's Discus F51/F52/F53) at 1:40 PM IST; and Sujith Mandalamkunnath (Men's 100m T13) at 2:24 PM IST.
- Evening Clashes: Hokato Sema and Soman Rana (Men's Shot Put F56/F57) at 3:35 PM IST; Devender Kumar, Pardeep Kumar, and Rakesh (Men's Discus F43/F44/F62/F64) at 4:17 PM IST; and Anjanaben Rohit Bumbadiya and Jayanti Behera (Women's 200m T45/T46/T47) at 4:37 PM IST.
Splashing Towards Success: Para Swimming
The pool will see intense action as Indian swimmers aim for the podium. Ravi Veera Venkata Bhavan Budigina (Men's 400m freestyle S13) and Himanshu Nandal (Men's 400m freestyle S11) will dive in at 1:30 PM and 1:39 PM IST respectively. Later, Suyash Narayan Jadhav and Niranjan Mukundan will battle it out in the men’s 200m individual medley SM7 final at 3:32 PM IST, while Devanshi Satija takes on the women’s 100m backstroke S10 final at 4:06 PM IST.
Precision and Power: Shooting, Table Tennis, and Powerlifting
In Para Shooting, India has a strong contingent for the 10m air pistol events. Manish Narwal, Nihal Singh, and Rudransh Khandelwal (Men's P1 SH1) and Bhakti Sharma, Rubina Francis, Srishti Arora, and Sumedha Pathak (Women's P2 SH1) will begin their qualification rounds at 6:30 AM IST.
Para Table Tennis offers immediate gold medal opportunities. Sonalben Patel, Bhavinaben Patel, Prachi Pandey, and Baby Sahana Ravi are scheduled for their women's singles semifinals in the morning, with potential gold medal matches set for 11:30 AM IST.
In the powerlifting arena, the strength of India will be tested by:
- Ashok: Men's up to 65kg final (8:30 AM IST)
- Jhandu Kumar: Men's up to 72kg final (1:00 PM IST)
- Suman Devi and Seema Rani: Women's up to 61kg final (2:30 PM IST)
Archery: The Battle of the Bow
The day begins early for the para-archers, with the round of 16 starting at 4:45 AM IST. A star-studded lineup including Sheetal Devi, Harvinder Singh, Vijay Sundi, Pooja, Bhawna, Toman Kumar, Shyam Sunder Swami, and Payal Nag will compete in their respective individual events, fighting for a spot in the quarterfinals and semifinals.