Asian Para Games: Sonalben Guarantees Medal; Heartbreak for Jaspreet Kaur
Sonalben Patel reaches the semifinals in para-table tennis at the Asian Para Games, while Jaspreet Kaur narrowly misses a powerlifting podium.
The Indian contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games experienced a mixture of triumph and narrow misses on Monday. While para-table tennis star Sonalben Patel has officially secured a podium finish, powerlifter Jaspreet Kaur faced a heartbreaking fourth-place finish in a tightly contested final.
Sonalben Patel Marches into Semifinals
In a dominant display of skill and precision, Sonalben Patel assured herself of a medal in the women's singles Class 3 para-table tennis event. Facing off against Thailand's Dararat Asayut in the quarterfinals, Sonalben clinched a 3-1 victory to advance.
The match saw Sonalben winning with scores of 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, and 11-5. Her victory sets up a high-stakes semifinal clash on Tuesday, where she will go head-to-head against the top seed, Jiyu Yoon of South Korea.
Powerlifting: A Narrow Miss for Jaspreet Kaur
It was a day of "what could have been" for para-powerlifter Jaspreet Kaur in the women's 45kg category. The reigning Asian medallist started strong, successfully lifting 100kg in her first attempt, which initially placed her third.
However, the podium slipped away during the subsequent rounds. Jaspreet failed to lift 102kg in her second attempt. This opening allowed Kazakhstan's Berimkulova to seize the advantage with a 101kg lift on her third try. Despite a final effort to improve her mark, Jaspreet remained at 100kg, finishing fourth and missing out on a medal for the second consecutive Asian Para Games.
Mixed Results in Swimming and Boccia
The swimming pool brought varied results for the Indian athletes:
- Vaishnavi Vinod Jagtap: Finished sixth in the women's 400m freestyle S8 final with a time of 6:22.72, while China's Tingting Zheng took the gold.
- Niranjan Mukundan: Secured fourth place in the men's 400m freestyle S7 final, clocking 5:38.77.
- Gopichand Lingutla: Finished fifth in the same men's 400m freestyle S7 event with a time of 5:40.44.
In the boccia arena, the results were equally contrasting. Anjali Devi suffered a 0-8 loss to South Korea's Ye Jin Choi in her second BC3 pool match, following a dominant 9-0 win over Japan's Yuika Sakai. She is scheduled to play Singapore's Mohammad Nurulasyiqah on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Sachin Chamaria faced a tough exit from the men's individual BC3 event. After losing 1-5 to Japan's Kazuki Takahashi and 1-7 to South Korea's Howon Jeong, Sachin was eliminated from the competition.
India's Medal Tally So Far
India has already made a strong start at the Aichi-Nagoya Games with three medals in the bag:
- Mona Agarwal: Gold (Women's 10m air rifle standing SH1)
- Avani Lekhara: Silver (Women's 10m air rifle standing SH1)
- Kapil Parmar: Bronze (Men's J1 -70kg para-judo)
Notably, Kapil Parmar's bronze is a historic achievement, marking India's first-ever para-judo medal at the Games. Parmar secured the win by defeating Indonesia's Shidqi Rafli Ahnaf via Ippon in a swift 69-second match.