Para Games and India
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Asian Para Games
2018
From: Pratyush Raj, Economics scholar writes golden script in Para Asiad, October 11, 2018: The Times of India
See graphic:
Results, Performance of Indian players in Para Asian Games- 2018
Day 1: India bags 11 medals; Sandeep’s world record
Sandeep claims gold with world record, October 8, 2018: The Times of India
Javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary produced a stunning world record effort as India bagged 11 medals, including three gold, on a productive day at the Asian Para Games.
Chaudhary clinched India's first gold of the Games in the men's F42-44/61-64 category in the morning session, before middle distance runner Raju Rakshitha (women's T111500m) and swimmer Jadhav Suyash Narayan (men's S7 50m butterfly) added the yellow metals later on the second day of competitions.
Chaudhary claimed the top spot with a best throw of 60.01m, which he managed in his third attempt. He, in the process, shattered the F44 world record, bettering the earlier mark of 59.82, which Chinese Mingjie Gao made in 1980.
Para-athletics gave two more silver also with Ramya Shanmugam and Radha Venkatesh finishing second in women's F46 javelin throw and women's T12/13 1500m race respectively. Swimming also fetched four medals. Besides, the gold from Narayan, India also won three bronze from swimming on Monday. India also won a silver in para-powerlifting while shooting para sport gave the country a silver and a bronze.
With these 11 medals, India's medal tally stood at 3 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze to occupy the eighth spot. India had won two silver and three bronze on Sunday. China are on top of the medal table with 35 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze, followed by South Korea with 14 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze.
Day 2: India wins 11 Medals, Including 3 Gold
India Clinches 11 Medals, Including 3 Gold, On Productive Day, October 9, 2018: The Times of India
India bagged three more gold with two coming from athletics in a rich haul of 11 medals to maintain its eighth spot on the third day of competitions at the Para Asian Games. Ekta Bhyan and Narayan Thakur clinched a gold each in women’s F32/51 club throw event and men’s T35 100m dash respectively before para-shooter Manish Narwal bagged the yellow metal in the men’s SH1 10m air pistol event.
All the Indian medals on Tuesday except for the shooting gold came from para-athletics. Bhyan produced her best throw in her fourth attempt, 16.02m, winning the F32/51 event ahead of UAE’s Alkaabi Thekra, who threw 15.75m. Bhyan had come into the competition on the back of a gold winning performance at the Indian Open Para Athletics Championship earlier this year.
The F32/51 class features athletes with significant impairment in hand function. Para-athletics continued to give gold for India as Thakur won the T35 100m final race in 14.02 seconds, ahead of Adawi Ahmed of Saudi Arabia (14.40) and Yiu Chui Bao of Hong Kong (14.62). This was India’s fourth gold from para-athletics.
Athletes in T35 class have coordination impairments (hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis). Youngster Thakur, who turns 17 on October 17, then gave India its third gold of the day. His category features athletes with upper and/ or lower limb impairment for competition in pistol events.
India also secured three silver medals through Surender Aneesh Kumar (men’s F43/44,F62/64 discus), Ram Pal (men’s T45/46/47 high jump), Virender (men’s F56/57 shot put).
Day 3: Harvinder wins India’s first Para Asian gold in archery
Harvinder Singh, an economics scholar from the Punjabi University in Patiala, created history by winning India’s first-ever Para Asian gold medal in archery.
The 27-year-old from Kaithal in Haryana was left with a stunted left foot after being injected with a wrong injection for fever when he was five.
He beat China’s Zhao Lixue 6-0 in the final of W2/ST category (athletes with limited impairment, who may take aim without needing a wheelchair) of the men’s individual recurve event in Jakarta on Wednesday. “This medal is for my mother who passed away last month due to kidney failure. She made a lot of sacrifices. I wanted her to hold the gold medal,” an emotional Harvinder told TOI over telephone from Jakarta.
“The past couple of months were very chaotic for me. I had to submit my PhD synopsis when the national camp was underway. But thanks to my federation, I was given time to submit it,” said Harvinder.
“A week after submitting my synopsis, my mother passed away. I was shattered, but my coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja (former national compound archery coach) gave me confidence to compete. I was very nervous and told him that I was not ready for the Para Asian Games, but he encouraged me and advised me to focus on my game,” he added.
Harvinder, who belongs to a family of farmers, took up archery as a hobby at the university. Teja, who recently resigned as the national coach over the Dronacharya snub, asked him to take up the sport professionally. Talking about his coach, the para athlete from Kaithal’s Wazirnagar village, said: “This is a conspiracy against him. India has lost a great coach. He has proved his worth and should get his due.”
Day 4: Sharad sets high jump record
Sharad smashes record to win high jump gold, October 12, 2018: The Times of India
India took over the podium in men’s high jump T42/63 category, claiming all the medals up for grabs with defending champion Sharad Kumar smashing two records to snare a second successive gold in the Asian Para Games. The 26-year-old world championships silver-medallist bettered the Asian as well as the Games record with a jump of 1.90m to claim the top honours. The T42/63 covers lower limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power and impaired range of movement.
The silver was claimed by Rio Paralympic bronze-medallist Varun Bhati (1.82m) and the bronze went to the Rio gold-medallist Thangavelu Mariyappan (1.67m). Bhati’s jump was his season’s best effort. Sharad, who hails from Bihar, suffered paralysis in his left leg at the age of two after being administered a spurious polio medicine at the local eradication drive. He has been a former world number one.
Earlier, Indian javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar won a silver medal in the men’s F46 category where two-time Paralympic goldmedallist Devendra Jhajharia finished fourth. In the same event, Rinku picked up a bronze medal to make it an India-dominated podium. The F46 category of disability covers upper limb deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired range of movement.
India also logged a bronze in the men’s 400m T13 category with Avnil Kumar claiming the third position. The T13 classification deals with visual impairment. In javelin throw, Gurjar notched up his silver with an effort of 61.33m in his fifth attempt. Gurjar trained for 22 days in Finland before the Games, an exercise that was backed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Rinku recorded a personal best of 60.92m for the bronze.
Day 5: India wins 5 gold, Deepa 2nd bronze
October 13, 2018: The Times of India
Para athletes added two gold medals to India’s kitty after chess players and a shuttler grabbed yellow metals as the country continued its impressive performance at the Asian Para Games where Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik bagged her second bronze.
K Jennitha Anto clinched the gold in women’s individual rapid P1 chess event after beating Manurung Roslinda of Indonesia 1-0 in the final round, while Kishan Gangolli got the better of Majid Bagheri in the men’s individual rapid VI - B2/B3 event.
Rapid P1 event is for physically impaired athletes while rapid VI - B2/B3 event features partially blind competitors. In para-badminton, Parul Parmar notched up a 21-9 21-5 victory over Wandee Kamtam of Thailand to win the gold medal in the women’s singles SL3 event.
Athletes in this class have impairment in one or both lower limbs and poor walking/ running balance but they play in standing positions. “I work as a coach in the Gujarat’s Sports Authority of India. My target is Paralympics. I will play in the World Championships next,” Parmar said.
“So, I want support from my office and I need sponsors. When we go to play international tournaments we don’t have sponsors and we have to fund ourselves. I request the government to help us,” she added. Later, para athletes further made it a memorable day for the Indians.
It was double delight for India in the men’s javelin throw F55 event as Neeraj Yadav and Amit Balyan clinched the gold and silver medals respectively. While Neeraj’s best effort was 29.24m, Amit threw the spear to 29.79 to win the silver. The bronze was bagged by Vietnam’s Kieu Minh.
Day 6: 72 medals (15 gold): India’s best-ever medal haul
Best-ever medal haul for India, October 14, 2018: The Times of India
India recorded its best-ever showing in the Asian Para Games by bagging 72 medals, including 15 gold, with the shuttlers adding two yellow metals and three bronze on the concluding day of competitions.
With 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze medals, India was placed ninth in the overall tally. China finished on top with 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze for a whopping total of 319 medals.
This was India’s best ever performance, bettering the last edition (2014) tally of 33 medals (3 gold, 14 silver, 16 bronze).
2023
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Oct 24, 2023: The Times of India’'
Hangzhou : India picked up a whopping 17 medals, including six gold, with star shooter Avani Lekhara leading the way as the country ended the opening day of competitions at fourth spot in the Asian Para Games here on Monday. India (6 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze) are behind hosts China (31 gold, 29 silver, 23 bronze), Iran (9 gold, 9 silver, 6 bronze) and Uzbekistan (6 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze) in the medals tally. As expected, track and field events contributed the most -11 medals (including five gold) out of the 17 on offer.
The day began with the Indians sweeping all the three medals in men’s club throw F51 event with Pranav Soorma winning the gold. The 29-year-old Soorma broke the Asian Para Games record with an effort of 30.01m while Dharambir (28.76m) and Amit Kumar (26.93m) were second and third respectively. There were only four competitors in the event with Saudi Arabia’s Radhi Ali Alharthi finishing last with a throw of 23.77m.
Soorma suffered a spinal cord injury after an accident when he was 16 and that left him paralysed. But that did not deter him from taking up para sports, and he won a silver medal at the 2019 Beijing World Para Athletics Grand Prix event. The F51 club throw event is for athletes who have movement affected to a high degree in the trunk, legs and hands. All the competitors compete while seated and rely on their shoulders and arm to generate power.
Later in the day, Avani made history as she clinched gold in the women’s R2 10m air rifle standing SH1 category with a games record score of 249.6. “This gold is very special for me because this is my first medal in the Asian Para Games. This Asian Para Games is part of my preparations for the 2024 Paralympics,” Avani said after winning gold. The other Indian para shooter Mona Agarwal finished sixth in the standings. Rudransh Khandelwal added a medal in shooting by winning a silver in P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 event.
Born in Jaipur, Avani met with a road accident in 2012 that made her wheelchair-bound ever since. Inspired by Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, her shooting career took off in 2015, and she has never looked back. Avani burst into the limelight with her stupendous show at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics where she became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the Summer Games. There, Avani also won a bronze m edal in the 50m rifle 3 positions.
Three Indians also finished 1-2-3 in the men’s high jump T63 category but only gold and silver were awarded under Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) rules. The three Indians were the only competitors in the event and under APC’s ‘minus one rule’, Shailesh Kumar won the gold with an Asian Para Games record jump of 1.82m while Mariyappan Thangavelu (1.80m) took the silver.PTI
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Oct 25, 2023: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Prachi Yadav achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal in para canoe at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
India secured a total of 17 medals, which included three golds, bringing their overall count to 34 medals in the first two days of competition. The Indian contingent had previously earned 17 medals, including six golds.
India ended Day 2 placed fifth in the standings, one spot down from Monday, with nine gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze, behind China (165: 66 gold, 53 silver, 46 bronze), Iran (47), Japan (45) and Uzbekistan (38).
Sharath Shankarappa Makanahalli won the men's T13 5000m event and his gold was initially counted and included in India's medal tally.
But the number of India's gold medals was reduced to nine as there were only two competitors in the event.
Under the Asian Paralympics Committee rulebook, it is up to the technical delegate to award medals in cases where there are less than three competitors.
Prachi, who had secured a silver in the canoe VL2 category on Monday, added to her medal tally with a gold in the KL2 event.
Other athletes who won gold medals on Tuesday included Deepthi Jeevanji in women's T20 400m and Neeraj Yadav in men's F54/55/56 discus throw.
Prachi, a 28-year-old athlete who is paralysed from the waist down, completed the 500m distance in 54.962 seconds to secure the gold in the KL2 event, a category for athletes who use their arms and have partial trunk and leg function to propel themselves. She hails from Gwalior.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the medal-winning efforts of the Indian athletes in a series of tweets.
"Congratulations to @ItzPrachi on winning the prestigious Gold Medal win in the Para Canoe Women's KL2 event. This was such an exceptional performance, which has made India proud. Best wishes for the endeavours ahead," Modi wrote on X, acknowledging the stupendous effort of Prachi.
In the women's T20 category 400m race, Deepthi set a new Games and Asian record with her gold-winning time of 56.69 seconds. This category is designed for athletes with intellectual impairments.
In the men's F54/55/56 discus throw event, Indian athletes swept all three medals. Neeraj Yadav clinched the gold with a Games and Asian record distance of 38.56m, while Yogesh Kathuniya (42.13m) and Muthuraja (35.06m) took home the silver and bronze, respectively.
Indian athletes also secured several silver and bronze medals on the day, showcasing their prowess in various events.
In para shooting, Rudransh Khandelwal and Manish Narwal earned a silver and bronze, respectively, in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1 event, while Rubina Francis secured a bronze in the P2 women's 10m air pistol SH1 category.
Bronze medalists on the day included Manish Kaurav (men's KL3 canoe), Ashok (men's 65kg powerlifting), Gajendra Singh (men's VL2 canoe), and Ekta Bhayan (women's F32/51 club throw).
On the first day of competition, India had an outstanding performance, winning a total of 17 medals, including six gold medals, with star shooter Avani Lekhara leading the way.
Apart from Avani (women's R2 10m air rifle standing SH1), the other gold medalists on Monday were Pranav Soorma (men's F51 club throw), Shailesh Kumar (men's T63 high jump), Nishad Kumar (men's T47 high jump), Ankur Dhama (men's T11 5000m), and Praveen Kumar (men's T64 high jump).
India is represented by 313 athletes at the Hangzhou Para Asian Games, the largest contingent in any edition, with a target of winning 100 medals. The country is participating in 17 out of the 22 sports and has introduced athletes for the first time in rowing, canoeing, lawn bowls, taekwondo, and blind football.
(With PTI inputs)
World Para Athletics Grand Prix
2021
Asian records for gold medallists Praveen, Nishad; India finish with 23 medals: Teenaged high jumpers Praveen Kumar and Nishad Kumar produced their personal best efforts to take a gold each and set new Asian records as the curtains came down on the 12th Fazza International World Para Athletics Grand Prix here. Praveen’s and Nishad’s gold medal-winning efforts were the high points for India who also had three silver and a bronze on Saturday, to end their campaign at the championships with 23 medals.
