Double Delight: Preeti Pal Smashes Silver in 100m and 200m at Asian Para Games
Paralympic medalist Preeti Pal secures two silver medals at the Asian Para Games. Read about India's dominant podium sweeps and medal haul.
Indian Paralympic star Preeti Pal has delivered a powerhouse performance at the Asian Para Games, securing two silver medals in a single day. In a thrilling display of speed and determination, Pal captured silver in both the women's 100m and 200m T35 events, further cementing her status as one of India's elite para-athletes.
Preeti Pal's Sprinting Success
In the women's 100m T35 final, Preeti Pal clocked a blistering time of 13.98 seconds. While she missed the gold by a narrow margin of 0.41 seconds, she pushed world record holder Zhou Xia of China to the limit. Zhou Xia took the top spot and simultaneously established a new Asian Para Games record.
Earlier on Wednesday, Preeti had already tasted success in the 200m T35 final. She finished with an impressive time of 29.53 seconds to claim her first silver of the day. She finished behind China's Zhou X (28.03 seconds) and comfortably ahead of Iraq's Fa Suwaed, who took the bronze with a time of 30.82 seconds.
India's Medal Haul and Podium Sweeps
India's dominance extended beyond the track, with the contingent reaching a total of 48 medals, comprising 12 gold, 18 silver, and 18 bronze.
Shot Put and Discus Dominance
India achieved a remarkable second podium sweep of the Games in the men's shot put F46. Sachin Khilari, a Paralympic medalist, secured the gold with a Games-record throw of 15.87m on his final attempt. Mohd Yasser took silver with a season-best of 15.06m, and Praveen completed the sweep with 14.94m.
This followed a similar clean sweep on Day 2 in the men's discus throw (F43/F44/F62/F64), where Devender Kumar (gold), Rakesh (silver), and Pardeep Kumar (bronze) occupied all three podium spots. Interestingly, despite Pardeep recording the longest throw of the competition at 51.15m, he finished third due to the Raza points system used to balance different disability classifications.
High Jump and Javelin Triumphs
The men's high jump T64 saw another one-two finish for India. Two-time Paralympic medalist Praveen Kumar claimed gold and set a new Asian Para Games record by clearing 2.05 metres. Banti secured the silver with a personal best jump of 1.92 metres.
In the men's javelin throw F13, Manjeet clinched a silver medal with a career-best throw. Manjeet has been in exceptional form this season, having previously won gold at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2026 in Delhi and the Indian Open Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru.
Further Gains in Powerlifting and Field Events
The medals continued to pour in across various disciplines:
- Para-powerlifting: Kasthuri Rajamani won silver in the women's up to 67 kg event. After a failed attempt at 106 kg, she successfully lifted 108 kg to beat South Korea's Kim Hyeonghui (107 kg). Uzbekistan's Rukhshona Uktamova took gold with a massive 127 kg lift.
- Women's Shot Put F34: Bhagyashri Jadhav secured silver with a personal-best throw of 8.19m, finishing behind China's Lijuan Zou, who set a Games record of 9.07m. This is Jadhav's second consecutive Asian Para Games silver in this event.
- Men's 100m T37: Rakeshbhai Bhatt added to the tally by claiming a bronze medal.