Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 20 (ANI): Indian para-athletes Pradeep Kumar and Ayush Verma won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men's javelin throw F53/F54 event, while Sonalben Patel and Praveen Sharma added a bronze each in para table tennis and shot put at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Tuesday.
In the men's javelin throw F53/F54 event, Pradeep Kumar recorded a best throw of 27.45 metres to secure the silver medal with 901 Raza points. Ayush Verma won bronze with a throw of 17.88 metres, earning 793 Raza points. Iran’s Erfan Bondori clinched the gold medal with a best throw of 30.24 metres, earning 986 Raza points.
Both athletes recorded personal bests with their medal-winning attempts, giving India a double podium finish in the event. This was India's second double podium in javelin throw at the ongoing Games, following Rinku Hooda and Ajeet Singh's silver and bronze finishes in the men's F46 event on Monday.
In para table tennis, Sonalben Patel settled for bronze in the women's singles Class 3 event after losing her semi-final against South Korea's Yoon Jiyu in straight games, 7-11, 5-11, 6-11. This was India's second medal in para table tennis at the Games on Tuesday after Bhavina Patel won bronze earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Praveen Sharma clinched bronze in the men's shot put F11 event with a personal best throw of 13.86 metres. Sharma produced his best effort on his sixth and final attempt to secure a podium finish in Aichi-Nagoya. Iran’s Amirhossein Alipour and Mahdi Olad clinched gold and silver, respectively, completing a 1-2 finish for their country, with Alipour setting an Asian record with a throw of 14.99 metres. (ANI)
Asian Para Games: Pradeep Kumar, Ayush Verma secure double-podium finish in javelin; Sonalben Patel, Praveen Sharma win bronze medals
