Nagoya, Oct 20 Indian para track and field athletes pocketed 14 medals including five gold, with Nishad Kumar becoming the third from the country to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games here on Tuesday.
India added five gold, four silver, and five bronze medals on the second day of competition, taking the medal count from para athletics to 20, the second best so far after China’s 23 (13 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze).
Nishad clinched the top spot in the men’s high jump T47 event to join para-runner Ankur Dhama and armless archer Sheetal Devi as only the third Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games.
He had won a gold in the long jump T47 event on Monday.
On Tuesday, Nishad sailed over 2.04m to win the gold and set a new Games record.
Ankur (men’s 5000m T11 and 1500m T11) and Sheetal (women’s individual compound open and mixed team compound open) had won two gold medals each in the previous edition in Hangzhou, China.
The T47 classification is for athletes with upper limb impairments.
Nishad’s right arm was severed by a grass-cutting machine at his family farm in Himachal Pradesh’s Amb when he was merely six.
It was Deepthi Jeevanji, who began India’s gold rush on the day, as she reasserted her continental supremacy by snaring a second consecutive Asian Para Games gold medal in the women’s 400m T20 event after clocking a Games record time of 56.36sec.
The 23-year-old from Telangana, who also holds the Asian record, is a two-time Para World Championships medallist, having won the gold in 2024.
The T20 classification covers athletes with intellectual impairments.
Hailing from a remote village in Telangana’s Warangal, Deepthi’s parents are small farmers who also worked as labourers in their village. Her talent for running was first discovered by a physical education teacher in her school.
She eventually found support from badminton great Pullela Gopichand, who suggested a test for her intellectual disability.
After she burst into the limelight with her consistent international performances, Deepthi revealed the tremendous role her parents played in supporting her ambitions despite being taunted for backing her by their fellow villagers.
Seasoned sprinter Simran also created a new Games record to clinch her maiden gold medal, while compatriot Tejalben Damor fetched a bronze in the women’s 200m T12 competition.
Simran clocked 24.80sec, while Tejalben, making her debut at the continental showpiece, was third at 25.23sec.
T12 classification covers athletes with moderate visual impairment.
The 26-year-old Simran, who won a bronze in 2024 Paralympics, is on a comeback trail with her new guide Shivam after her previous guide Umar Saifi was banned for a doping violation.
Hailing from Burari village in Delhi, Simran was born prematurely with impaired vision which makes it difficult for her to see beyond 10m. She was kept in an incubator for seven months after her pre-term birth.
But through sheer greed and determination, she rose to become a top para athlete of the country.
She was mocked by people during childhood for her vision impairment.
In the men’s discus throw combined F51/52/53 event, Pranav Soorma won gold with an Asian record, while Ram Ratan Singh took the silver in a 1-2 finish for the country.
The 32-year-old Soorma, who had won gold in the club throw F51 event in the previous Asian Para Games as well as in the 2024 Paralympics, sent his discus to a distance of 11.66m in his fourth attempt to take the top spot and set a new Asian record.
At the age of 16, Soorma’s life changed dramatically when a cement sheet fell on his head, causing a severe spinal cord injury that left him paralysed. Doctors told him he would never walk again, and he spent six months in the hospital.
It took several years for Soorma, from Faridabad, to accept that a wheelchair would be his lifelong companion. To maintain a positive mindset, Soorma began meditating. While in the hospital, friends introduced him to para sports, igniting a new passion.
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Soorma excelled academically, scoring 91.2 percent in his 12th board exams and pursuing a postgraduate degree in commerce from the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He later secured a job as an Assistant Manager in a bank.
A former cricketer, Soorma experimented with different para sports and even participated in the Mr. Wheelchair India event.
Indians swept all three medals on offer in the men’s discus throw F44/64 event with Devender Kumar winning gold in a four-athlete field.
The 32-year-old Devender took the gold with a throw of 49.71m, while Rakesh and Pardeep Kumar took the silver and bronze respectively.
Devender was born at Kishkandha village in Charkhi Dadri of Haryana. At the age of 21, he and his mother met with a major accident and Devender broke his left leg. His left hip was operated on due to multiple fractures. He was in the hospital for the next two months.
The F44 and F64 represent classifications for athletes with lower limb impairments. The F44 athletes compete without a prosthesis while F64 athletes compete with a prosthesis.
Preeti Pal won a silver in the women’s 200m T35 event. Praveen Sharma (men’s shot put F11), Ayush Verma (men’s javelin F53/54), and Hokato Hotozhe Sema (men’s shot put F56/57) won bronze medals.
(PTI News)
