Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 19 (ANI): India’s two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar clinched gold within the males’s T47 lengthy leap on the 2026 Asian Para Games on Monday, profitable the occasion with a finest effort of seven.11m in his first worldwide look within the self-discipline.
Nishad, who primarily competes within the excessive leap, produced a dominant efficiency to safe India’s second gold medal on the Games. His compatriot Ravi Karthik Budigina added to the medal tally by profitable silver within the males’s 100m freestyle S13 swimming occasion.
Nishad started the lengthy leap last with an effort of 6.95m earlier than bettering to 7.09m in his second try. He then registered 7.11m within the third spherical to take management of the competitors.
After a foul in his fourth try, the Indian athlete bounced again with one other 7.11m leap within the fifth spherical earlier than closing with 7.07m to seal the gold medal.
Uzbekistan’s Omadbek Khasanov received silver with a season-best effort of 6.99m, whereas Sri Lanka’s Mohammadu Safran claimed bronze with a leap of 6.55m.
The gold marked one other milestone in Nishad’s profession. The 26-year-old is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist, having completed second within the males’s excessive leap T47 on the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He additionally received gold on the 2022 Asian Para Games and have become the 2025 World Para Athletics champion with an Asian file of two.14m within the excessive leap.
Nishad misplaced his proper hand in a childhood farm accident and took up para-athletics in 2009. His newest achievement highlights his versatility past his main occasion.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Ravi Karthik Budigina secured silver within the males’s 100m freestyle S13, clocking 56.80 seconds. Uzbekistan’s Egor Bolotov claimed gold with a time of 52.90 seconds, whereas the Indian swimmer delivered the nation’s first swimming medal on the ongoing Games.
Budigina, who represents Andhra Pradesh, competes within the S13, SB13 and SM13 classifications for athletes with visible impairments and is thought to be one in every of India’s rising para-swimming abilities.
With Nishad’s gold and Budigina’s silver, India’s medal tally on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games rose to 6.
Earlier, para-shooters Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara received gold and silver, respectively, within the girls’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 occasion. India additionally secured silver by means of Kokila within the girls’s J2 -52kg judo occasion, whereas Kapil Parmar claimed bronze within the males’s J1 -70kg class.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games are being held in Japan from October 18 to 24. (ANI)