India sent a much smaller squad to Japan this time. It came home with more medals than ever before.
Indian para-athletes finished the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games with a record 114 medals: 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze. The Games closed on Saturday, October 24, at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, with double gold medallists Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal carrying the Indian flag. India sat fourth on the medal table at the close of its campaign, according to Outlook India and ETV Bharat.
Quick Facts
- Who: India’s 168-member para-athlete contingent
- What: Best-ever Asian Para Games haul of 114 medals (30 gold, 35 silver, 49 bronze)
- Where: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the first time Japan hosted the Games
- When: October 2026; closing ceremony on October 24
- Previous best: 108 medals with 27 gold at Hangzhou 2023
- World records by Indians: 3 (Sandeep, Haney, Mona Agarwal)
Asian Para Games 2026: How India Hit 114 Medals
Para athletics did the heavy lifting again. It gave India 65 medals, including 22 golds, which is more than half the total. Outlook India reports that this is 12 more athletics medals than in Hangzhou.
Para badminton came next with 16 medals (3 gold), followed by para swimming with 11, para table tennis with 7, para archery with 6 (3 gold) and para shooting with 5 (2 gold). Para judo and para powerlifting added two medals each, as per News On AIR.
The final day of competition was the big one. India won nine golds that day, its best single-day haul of the Games, Outlook India said. That push carried the team past the old record.
Half the Squad, More Medals
This is the part that makes the record stand out. India took 309 athletes to Hangzhou in 2023. This time, only 168 went to Nagoya, according to ETV Bharat. The outlet linked the smaller squad to stricter qualification rules, events such as blind chess and para rowing being dropped, and some selection disputes.
Put simply, fewer athletes won more medals. Gold went up from 27 to 30, and silver rose too. Hangzhou’s total was first reported as 111, but ETV Bharat notes three medals were later stripped over doping violations, which brought it down to 108. Either way, 114 is the new high mark.
Three World Records and Some Big Names
Indian athletes set three world records in Nagoya:
- Sandeep ran 52.28 seconds to win the men’s 400m T64 gold.
- Haney threw 60.49m to win the men’s javelin F37/38 gold.
- Mona Agarwal scored 357.5 to win the women’s 50m rifle three positions SH1, her second gold after the 10m air rifle standing SH1, where she set a Games record of 250.0.
Paralympic star Sumit Antil won the men’s javelin F42-44/61-64 with 72.46m, and India swept that podium. Nishad Kumar won both the high jump and long jump T47. Sheetal Devi took gold in the women’s compound archery and another in the compound mixed team with Toman Kumar.
In badminton, Nitesh Kumar beat fellow Indian Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the men’s singles SL3 final. Debutant Naveen Sivakumar won the men’s singles SL4, and Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan won the women’s doubles SL3-SU5. Swimmer Himanshu Nandal picked up three bronze medals in S11 events.
Why This Record Matters for Indian Para Sport
Before the Games, Indian officials talked about a target of around 100 medals. The team cleared that comfortably. It also shows depth beyond the athletics track, with badminton, archery and shooting all producing gold.
There is also an eye on Los Angeles. Outlook India reports that Mona Agarwal’s result secured India’s first quota place for the 2028 Paralympics.
President Droupadi Murmu congratulated the contingent, calling the result an unprecedented success built on hard work and self-belief, News On AIR reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted messages praising individual medallists through the week.
Background: The Aichi-Nagoya Games
This was the fifth edition of the Asian Para Games and the first held in Japan. Around 4,000 athletes and staff from 45 countries and regions took part in the week-long event, according to News On AIR. The next edition will be held in Doha in 2030.
What We Don’t Know Yet
India’s final position on the overall table was not fully locked when its campaign ended. Outlook India and ETV Bharat noted that results in Saturday’s finals, in which India had no athletes, could still change the order. The official final standings from the organisers should settle it.
Our Take
Winning more with fewer people is the real headline here. A record that comes from a bigger squad can be about numbers; this one points to better-prepared athletes. If Indian para sport keeps investing in the disciplines beyond athletics, the LA 2028 Paralympics could be a very exciting few weeks.
FAQs
How many medals did India win at the Asian Para Games 2026?
India won 114 medals: 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze. It is the country’s best-ever tally at the Asian Para Games.
What was India’s previous best at the Asian Para Games?
Hangzhou 2023. That tally was first reported as 111 medals, later revised to 108 with 27 golds after three medals were stripped for doping.
Which sport gave India the most medals?
Para athletics, with 65 medals including 22 golds. Para badminton was second with 16.
Who were India’s flag-bearers at the closing ceremony?
Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal, who both won two gold medals in Nagoya.
Where will the next Asian Para Games be held?
The next edition is set for Doha, Qatar, in 2030.
For official updates, see the Paralympic Committee of India and News On AIR’s closing report.
Based on reporting by News On AIR, Outlook India and ETV Bharat.
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