Asian Para Games: Kokila Clinches Silver in Women's Judo
Indian judoka Kokila clinches silver in the women's J2 -52kg event at the Asian Para Games. Read more on India's opening day medal haul.
Indian judoka Kokila has secured a silver medal in the women's J2 -52kg judo event at the 2026 Asian Para Games. Competing at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Japan, Kokila reached the final but ultimately fell to Kyrgyzstan's Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy.
A Swift Final Bout
The gold medal match was a brief and intense encounter. Kokila's quest for the top spot ended in just 21 seconds, as Aibike secured a decisive victory by Ippon. Despite the quick loss, Kokila's performance ensured a podium finish, adding another valuable silver to India's overall medal tally at the continental multi-sport event.
India's Opening Day Success
Kokila's achievement marked the fourth medal for India on the first day of the Games. The nation's strong start was bolstered by several other athletes:
- Mona Agarwal: Won gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event.
- Avani Lekhara: Secured silver in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event.
- Kapil Parmar: Claimed bronze in the men's J1 -70kg judo category after defeating Indonesia's Shidqi Rafli Ahnaf by Ippon in 69 seconds. This was Parmar's second Asian Para Games medal and India's first in para judo for this edition.
Other Indian Performances
Para-Table Tennis
Sonalben Patel has guaranteed herself a medal after a strong showing in the women's singles Class 3 quarterfinals. She defeated Thailand's Dararat Asayut with a score of 3-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5). Sonalben now advances to the semifinals, where she is scheduled to face South Korea's top seed, Jiyu Yoon, on Tuesday.
Para Powerlifting and Swimming
In the women's 45kg para powerlifting final, Jaspreet Kaur finished in fourth place. The reigning Asian medallist opened with a successful 100kg lift but was unable to increase her mark in later attempts. She was narrowly overtaken by Kazakhstan's Berimkulova, who lifted 101kg.
In the pool, 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 gold. In the men's 400m freestyle S7 final, Niranjan Mukundan and Gopichand Lingutla finished fourth and fifth, respectively, clocking 5:38.77 and 5:40.44.
Boccia Results
In the women's individual BC3 pool stage, Anjali Devi experienced mixed results. After an initial 9-0 victory over Japan's Yuika Sakai, she suffered a 0-8 defeat against South Korea's Ye Jin Choi. She will compete against Singapore's Mohammad Nurulasyiqah on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Sachin Chamaria was eliminated from the men's individual BC3 event following two losses on Monday, falling 1-5 to Japan's Kazuki Takahashi and 1-7 to South Korea's Howon Jeong.