Medal rush continues; Ayush, Praveen, Khilari add to gold tally

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There was no stopping the Indian juggernaut at the Asian Para Games‘ para-athletics events as 10 more medals, including three gold, were added to the tally on the third day of competitions here on Wednesday.

Ayush Verma gave India the first para-athletics gold of the day in the men’s shot put F53 event, followed by Praveen Kumar (men’s high jump T44/64) and Sachin Khilari (men’s shot put F46).

India also grabbed four silver medals in the morning session through Banti (men’s high jump T44/64), Bhagyashri Jadhav (women’s shot put F34), Mohd Yasser (men’s shot put F46) and Manjeet (men’s javelin F12/13).

Anubhav Choudhary (men’s 100m T35), Parveen (men’s shot put F46) and Rakeshbhai Bhatt (men’s 100m T37) won a bronze each.

On the second day of competitions on Tuesday, Indian para-athletics team had won 14 medals, including five gold, to take the tally to 20.

For Ayush, it was his second medal at the ongoing Games as he had earlier won a bronze in the men’s javelin throw F53/F54 event on Tuesday.

Heartiest congratulations to Ayush Verma on the magnificent 8.16m throw to clinch Gold in the Men’s Shot Put F53 at the Asian Para Games 2026. Keep making India proud, Champ! #AsianParaGames2026 #ParaAthletics #TeamIndia #Cheer4Bharat https://t.co/vYalVfvTzl

— Adv. Ashish Shelar – ॲड. आशिष शेलार (@ShelarAshish) October 21, 2026

The 35-year-old athlete from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, who suffered a spinal cord injury in a road accident that confined him to a wheelchair, produced a throw of 8.16m in his fifth attempt to take the top spot.

F53 is for field athletes who have movement affected to a high degree in the trunk and legs and hand grip affected to a low level. They compete in seated positions and generate inertia using their chest, upper-back and shoulders.

Double Paralympic-medallist Praveen Kumar then added a second gold with a Games record performance to lead India‘s 1-2 finish in men’s high jump T44/64 event.

The 23-year-old Praveen, who won gold in the 2024 Paralympics, sailed over 2.05m to defend the gold he had won in the previous Para Asiad, while Banti produced a personal best of 1.92m to take the silver.

“I was not well two weeks back and was thinking how I would defend my gold medal. After that I was recovering for one week, but my body was not strong and jumps were not coming. But in the end it turned out that all these illnesses are nothing if you have to win gold for the country,” said Praveen, a T44 athlete.

T64 and T44 athletes often compete together in a combined event as World Para Athletics groups lower-limb classes together to ensure enough and fair competition.

T64 is for athletes who run with a prosthetic lower limb, while T44 is for athletes with lower-limb impairments who run using two anatomical limbs without prostheses.

Hailing from Govindgarh village in Uttar Pradesh, Praveen also won a bronze in the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.

Born with a lower-limb impairment — one leg shorter than the other –, he developed an interest in athletics at a young age and went on to specialise in high jump under the guidance of coach Satyapal Singh.

Another Paralympics medallist, Sachin Khilari, defended the gold he won in the previous Asian Para Games, leading India to a medal sweep in the men’s shot put F46 event.

The 36-year-old Khilari, a silver winner at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, won the gold with his sixth and final throw of 15.87m, breaking the earlier Games record of 15.67m.

Mohd. Yasser took the silver with his third round throw of 15.06m while Parveen was third with 14.94m.

“In the last Para Asiad, Paralympics and World Para Championships, most of the time I was alone on the podium. Today, two more Indians joined me, that is incredible,” Khilari said.

The F46 classification is for field athletes with a single above or below elbow amputation, or an equivalent upper-limb impairment. They compete in a standing position and generate throwing power using their hips and legs.

Born to a farmer’s family at Karagani village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, Khilari suffered a crippling injury on his left hand as a result of a bicycle accident. Multiple surgeries failed to entirely repair his hand due to gangrene and muscle atrophy. He lost his mother at a young age.

He got introduced to para sports in 2015 and improved his game under coach Satayanarayana.
A mechanical engineer by qualification, he also teaches in institutions assisting students in their preparations for the UPSC and state civil services exams.

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