Asian Para Games: Thulasimathi, Parmod and Archery Duo Clinch Silver
Thulasimathi, Parmod, and archery duo Pooja-Bhawna clinch silver medals at the Asian Para Games, pushing India's total to 91.
India's stellar run at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, continued on Day 5 as three more silver medals were added to the national tally. The impressive performances by Thulasimathi Murugesan, Parmod, and the archery pair of Bhawna and Pooja have pushed India's total medal count to 91, consisting of 21 gold, 29 silver, and 41 bronze medals.
Currently, India holds the fourth position in the overall standings, while China continues to dominate the table with a massive haul of 319 medals.
Badminton and Athletics Shine
In the para-badminton arena, Thulasimathi Murugesan fought hard in the women's singles SU5 final. Despite her spirited effort, she fell to China's Qiuxia Yang with a score of 18-21, 11-21, securing a silver medal for India.
Thulasimathi's journey is one of immense resilience. Born in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, with a congenital deformity in her left hand, she has overcome chronic ulnar neuritis and muscle atrophy, as well as a restrictive accident. Guided by her father, D. Murugesan, who spent five years training her, she transitioned from athletics to badminton. Her decorated career already includes a silver at the 2024 World Championships and gold at the 2023 Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International.
Meanwhile, in para-athletics, Parmod mirrored his success from the 2022 Hangzhou Games. Competing in the men's 1500m T46 event, the 26-year-old athlete clocked a time of 4:09.65 to claim the silver medal.
Archery Duo Faces Tough Chinese Competition
The women's recurve doubles pair of Bhawna and Pooja also reached the gold medal match, where they faced a formidable Chinese duo. The Indian pair struggled to keep pace with the precision of their opponents, losing 0-6 across three sets (31-38, 30-35, and 29-39).
The statistics highlighted the gap in accuracy, as the Chinese archers averaged 9.33 points per arrow compared to India's 7.50, resulting in a silver medal finish for the Indian duo.
The Road Ahead: More Medals in Sight
India's campaign is far from over, with several high-stakes events lined up as Day 5 action progresses across various disciplines including para-swimming, powerlifting, and shooting.
Key Upcoming Events:
- Para Badminton: Naveen Sivakumar will compete in the men's singles SL4 final, while Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan takes the court for the women's singles SH6 final. Additionally, Thulasimathi will team up with Nitesh Kumar for the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final against Indonesia's Leani Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani.
- Para Archery: Harvinder Singh and Bhawna Choudhary are set for a crucial recurve mixed team semifinal against China's Zhao Lixue and Wang Xueqian.
- Para Athletics: India looks toward its powerhouse javelin throwers—Sumit Antil, Sandip Sargar, and Mahendra Gurjar—in the F42-F44/F61-F64 event. Furthermore, Pranav Soorma, Dharambir Nain, and Amit Kumar Saroha will battle it out in the men's club throw F51 final.