India launches Asian Para Games campaign with 17 medals on opening day including six golds

India won 17 medals including six golds, six silvers and five bronze on the first day of medal events at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on October 18, matching the country's explosive start at the previous edition in Hangzhou. Para shooter Avani Lekhara clinched gold in the women's R2 10-meter air rifle standing SH1 event with a Games record of 249.6 points, while Sidhartha Babu won gold in the R6 mixed 50-meter rifle prone SH1 with an Asian Para Games record of 247.7. In athletics, Pranav Soorma won gold in the men's club throw F51 with an Asian record of 30.01 meters, Ankur Dhama won the men's 5000-meter T11 race, and India swept medals in high jump events across T47, T63 and T64 categories. India fielded a 168-member contingent including 112 men and 56 women across 11 disciplines, fewer than the 303 athletes sent to Hangzhou due to quota cuts eliminating blind chess, para-rowing and para-canoeing.

The strong opening performance positions India fourth in the medal tally after day one, exactly matching the trajectory from Hangzhou 2023 where the country ultimately won 108 medals to finish sixth overall. With the Games running through October 24, India is on track to exceed the previous edition's performance despite fielding a smaller contingent, demonstrating deeper competitive strength across core disciplines like shooting, athletics, badminton and judo.

Sources

The Bridge, October 18, 2026, thebridge.in; Yahoo Sports, October 19, 2026, sports.yahoo.com; Stadium Rant, October 19, 2026, stadiumrant.com; Wikipedia entry on India at 2026 Asian Para Games, accessed October 19, 2026, en.wikipedia.org