India won 11 medals on the first day of competition at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, four gold, five silver and two bronze, to sit fourth in the table. Mona Agarwal set a Games record in shooting, and Indians took three one-two finishes.
Nagoya, Japan: Three events, three Indian one-twos. India’s opening day at the Asian Para Games came with shooting, javelin and a distance race all finishing with two Indians on the podium, and it ended with 11 medals.
Mona and Avani set the tone
The first record fell in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 (R2) final. Mona Agarwal scored 250.0, a new Asian Para Games record, to take gold, and Avani Lekhara finished 0.4 behind on 249.6 for silver.
Track and field delivers the bulk
Para athletics brought India six of its 11 medals. Nishad Kumar, a two-time Paralympic silver medallist in the high jump, won the men’s T47 long jump with 7.11 metres. Rinku Hooda took the men’s F46 javelin gold with a throw of 65.11 metres, with Ajeet Singh Yadav second.
On the track, Soumya won the women’s 1500m T12/T13 with Radha Venkatesh taking silver, and Ravanni Valasanaini added bronze in the women’s 1500m T11.
Judo and swimming add to the haul
Kokila won silver in the women’s J2 -52kg judo, and Kapil Parmar took bronze in the men’s J1 -70kg. In the pool, Ravi Karthik Budigina claimed silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S13.
Where India stand
The tally of four gold, five silver and two bronze put India fourth in the standings behind China, Japan and Uzbekistan. China led with 20 gold medals and 53 in all after the day. The Games continue in Aichi-Nagoya through the week.
India’s medals on the day:
Gold: Mona Agarwal (shooting), Nishad Kumar (long jump T47), Rinku Hooda (javelin F46), Soumya (1500m T12/T13)
Silver: Avani Lekhara (shooting), Ajeet Singh Yadav (javelin F46), Radha Venkatesh (1500m T12/T13), Kokila (judo J2 -52kg), Ravi Karthik Budigina (100m freestyle S13)
Bronze: Ravanni Valasanaini (1500m T11), Kapil Parmar (judo J1 -70kg)
