Shristi Arora Hits the Mark: Bronze for India in Asian Para Games Shooting
Indian shooter Shristi Arora clinches bronze in 10m air pistol at the Asian Para Games. Read more about India's medal haul and top performances.
Indian shooter Shristi Arora has added to India's growing medal tally at the Asian Para Games, securing a hard-fought bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 category. In a high-pressure environment in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Arora demonstrated remarkable composure to claim her spot on the podium.
The Battle for the Podium
Shristi Arora finished the competition with a total score of 214.7. Her journey to the bronze was a tactical one; after recording 96.3 in her initial two series, she managed to climb into the third position and successfully defended it until the end.
The gold and silver medals were dominated by Iran, with Faezeh Ahmadi taking the top spot and Sareh Javanmardi finishing second with scores of 237.3 and 237.0, respectively.
Shooting Success: Manish Narwal and Rudranksh Khandelwal
The shooting range saw more Indian action as former Paralympics shooter Manish Narwal clinched a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol SH1 category. Narwal, who had previously won bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, finished with a score of 233.7.
Despite a modest fifth-place finish in the qualification round, Narwal surged into medal contention during the finals with a powerful second series of 49.8. He finished behind South Korea's world record holder Jo Jeongdu, who dominated the event with a score of 241.3, and ahead of China's Yang Chao.
Another Indian finalist, Rudranksh Khandelwal, faced a tougher outing. Despite finishing second in the qualifications, he struggled in the finals and ended up in seventh place. However, Khandelwal has already secured his place for the Los Angeles Paralympics 2028.
Dominance in Para-Table Tennis and Powerlifting
India's success extended well beyond the shooting range, with a massive haul in para-table tennis and powerlifting:
- Jehan Madan: Secured a silver medal in the men's singles class 1. In a five-man field, Madan finished fourth in the group, which was sufficient to earn him a silver.
- Ashok: Claimed silver in the men's 65 kg para-powerlifting event with a best lift of 192 kg, finishing behind China's Zou Yi (216 kg).
- Baby Sahana Ravi: Won a historic bronze in the women's singles Class 9. This marks India's first-ever medal in the standing category of para-table tennis at the Asian Para Games.
- Prachi Pandey: Added another bronze in the women's singles Class 6.
- Bhavina Patel: The 2020 Paralympics silver medallist secured bronze in the Women's Singles Class 4-5.
- Sonalben Patel: Earned a bronze medal in the women's singles Class 3.
Athletics and Overall Tally
The standout performance of the day came from para-athlete Deepthi Jeevanji, who stormed to a gold medal in the women's 400m T20 event, setting a new Games record with a blistering time of 56.36 seconds.
In other athletics events, Pradeep Kumar won silver and Ayush Verma took bronze in the men's javelin throw F53/F54, while Praveen Sharma added a bronze in the men's shot put F11.
With these stellar performances, India's total Asian Para Games medal count has reached 23, consisting of five golds, eight silvers, and 10 bronze medals. On the first day alone, the contingent brought home 11 medals, including four golds.