Sandeep Shatters World Record for 400m Gold as India Hits 100-Medal Milestone
Para-athlete Sandeep shatters the T44 world record for 400m gold as India reaches a historic 100-medal milestone at the Asian Para Games 2026.
Indian para-athletics reached a historic peak on Friday at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Para-athlete Sandeep delivered a breathtaking performance to secure a gold medal in the men's 400m T64 event, while simultaneously setting a new Sandeep T44 world record. This surge of success has pushed India's overall medal tally to the landmark figure of 100.
A Record-Breaking Sprint
Sandeep dominated the track, clocking an incredible 52.28 seconds to claim the top spot on the podium. In doing so, he obliterated the previous T44 world record held by Nour Alsana of Saudi Arabia, beating the former mark by more than half a second.
The victory was made even sweeter for the Indian contingent as compatriot Ajay Kumar also found the podium, finishing third with a time of 53.61 seconds to secure the bronze medal.
Chasing History: The Medal Count
With the addition of these two medals, India's total now stands at 100 medals, consisting of:
- Gold: 25
- Silver: 32
- Bronze: 43
India currently holds the fourth position in the overall standings, trailing China, which leads the table with 333 medals. The Indian team is now eyeing its best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games; they previously secured 111 medals at the 2022 Hangzhou edition (held in 2023). With one-and-a-half days of competition remaining, India needs just 12 more medals to break that record.
Gold Rush in Badminton and Archery
The success extended far beyond the athletics track. In para badminton, Nitesh Kumar clinched gold in the men's singles SL3 final after a hard-fought battle against teammate Pramod Bhagat, winning 21-18, 21-16. Bhagat took home the silver.
Another gold was added by Naveen Sivakumar, who defeated Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-17 in the men's singles SL4 final. Meanwhile, in para archery, the duo of Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi dominated the men's recurve doubles, defeating China 5-1 to secure gold.
Silver and Bronze Successes
India also added several silver medals to its collection across various disciplines:
- Para Archery: Pooja Jatyan and Bhawna Choudhary earned silver in the women's recurve doubles after a loss to China.
- Athletics: Parmod Bijarnia retained his silver in the men's 1500m T46 with a time of 4:09.65, and Nimisha Suresh secured silver in the women's long jump T47 with a jump of 5.37 metres.
- Para Badminton: Thulasimathi Murugesan (women's singles SU5) and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan (women's singles SH6) both earned silver after falling to Chinese opponents.
In para table tennis, Jehan Madan and Shubham Wadhwa secured a bronze medal in the men's doubles Class MD4 after a match against South Korea's Jincheol Park and Kyunghyun Kim.
Looking Ahead
The momentum continues into the final stages of the Games. Avani Lekhara has already signaled her intent by qualifying in first place for the final of the women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event. Her compatriot, Mona Agarwal, finished sixth in the qualification round.
As the competition nears its end, all eyes are on the Indian contingent as they strive to surpass their all-time record haul.