Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 23 (ANI): India added two bronze medals to its tally in para athletics as Navdeep Singh finished third in the men's javelin throw F40/41 final, while Rakeshbhai Bhatt secured a podium finish in the men's 200m T37 final in the ongoing Asian Para Games in Japan on Friday.
Navdeep, India's Paralympic champion, registered a best throw of 42.55 metres on his second attempt to clinch bronze. He managed only two valid throws out of his six attempts, but his effort was enough to secure a place on the podium.
Iran's Beit Sadegh won gold with a throw of 45.78 metres, while Indonesia's Ansyari claimed silver with a personal best of 43.55 metres.
Sadegh had also recorded the best throw at the Paralympics but was disqualified after displaying a flag, resulting in Navdeep being awarded gold at that event.
The other Indian in the javelin competition, Ravi Rongali, finished fifth with a best throw of 31.64 metres.
Meanwhile, Rakeshbhai Bhatt clinched bronze in the men's 200m T37 final after clocking 23.64 seconds in a closely contested race.
Saudi Arabia's Alnakhli Ali claimed the gold medal, finishing 0.32 seconds ahead of Bhatt, while Indonesia's Saptoyogo Purnomo secured silver with a time of 23.45 seconds.
Bhatt's podium finish added another medal to India's para-athletics campaign, with the closely fought race witnessing narrow margins between the competitors.
The two bronze medals highlighted India's efforts across both track and field events.
Meanwhile, India enjoyed a strong medal-winning campaign across para sports, with gold medals coming in para badminton, para archery, para athletics and para shooting.
Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar won gold in men's singles para badminton, while Pramod Bhagat claimed silver. Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi secured gold in men's recurve archery, and Sandeep, Haney and Mona Agarwal also won gold in their respective events. Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi clinched gold in women's doubles para badminton.
India also secured several silver and bronze medals across athletics, badminton, archery, swimming and table tennis. Rakeshbhai Bhatt and Navdeep Singh won bronze in para athletics, while Himanshu Nandal added a bronze in para swimming. Several Indian athletes narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth, fifth or sixth in their respective events. (ANI)
Asian Para Games: Navdeep Singh, Rakeshbhai Bhatt win bronze as India shines across disciplines
