Devender Kumar won the men’s F43/F44/F62/F64 discus at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya with a throw of 49.71 metres, and India took all three medals. Rakesh won silver and Pardeep Kumar bronze, with the placings decided on Raza points, not distance.
Nagoya, Japan: Pardeep Kumar had the longest throw of the three medallists on Tuesday, and he still finished third. In a combined-classification discus final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, distance was only half the story, and India still ended up with all three medals.
How the podium was decided
The men’s discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64 event scores athletes from different classes together, using Raza points to compare performances. Devender Kumar won gold with 781 points, built on a throw of 49.71 metres. Rakesh took silver on 771 points, and Pardeep Kumar bronze on 669.
Pardeep’s longest throw, Devender’s gold
Pardeep, who competes in the F64 category, produced the longest throw of the three with 51.15 metres. Because the points system adjusts for classification, that was not enough to move him above Devender and Rakesh, who were both listed in the F44 category. The margin between the first two was ten points, and Rakesh’s best was within half a metre of the winner’s.
India’s other discus podium
The sweep was not India’s only discus success on the day. In the men’s discus throw F51/F52/F53, Pranav Soorma won gold and Ram Ratan Singh took silver. Soorma had previously won the F51 club throw title at the last Asian Para Games.
Adding to India’s haul
The discus medals follow other Indian podiums at the Games, including Deepthi Jeevanji’s Games-record 400m T20 gold and, in shooting, Manish Narwal’s 10m air pistol silver. They also build on India’s 11-medal opening day in Aichi-Nagoya.
Men’s discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64: Gold, Devender Kumar (India) 781 points, 49.71 m. Silver, Rakesh (India) 771 points. Bronze, Pardeep Kumar (India) 669 points, 51.15 m. Men’s discus throw F51/F52/F53: Gold, Pranav Soorma (India). Silver, Ram Ratan Singh (India).
