Asian Para Games: Praveen, Banti clinch high jump gold and silver; Rakeshbhai Bhatt bags bronze in 100m T37

Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 21 (ANI): Indian para-athletes Praveen Kumar and Banti secured a one-two finish in the men's high jump T64 event, while Rakeshbhai Bhatt claimed bronze in the men's 100m T37 final at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Wednesday.
Praveen, a two-time Paralympic medallist, won gold with an Asian Para Games record jump of 2.05 metres, while Banti took silver with a personal best of 1.92 metres to complete a memorable double podium finish for India.
Praveen initially secured the gold medal by clearing 1.95 metres, equalling the Games record. He subsequently cleared 2.00 metres on his first attempt before scaling 2.05 metres on his third attempt to establish a new Games record.
Banti also delivered an impressive performance, clearing 1.92 metres to secure the silver medal and ensure India's dominance in the event.
India added another medal on the track through Rakeshbhai Bhatt, who clocked a personal best of 11.50 seconds to finish third in the men's 100m T37 final.
Saudi Arabia's Ali Alnakhli won the gold medal in 11.31 seconds, while Indonesia's Saptoyogo Purnomo claimed silver in 11.35 seconds.
In para-swimming, Himanshu Nandal qualified for the men's 100m breaststroke SB11 final after clocking 1:21.52 in the heats. He advanced as the fourth-fastest swimmer, having previously won bronze in the men's 400m freestyle S11 event.
India's Sujith MS finished sixth in the men's long jump T13 final with a best effort of 5.74 metres.
In para-badminton, Naveen Sivakumar advanced to the men's singles SL4 semifinals after defeating South Korea's Kyung Hwan Shin 21-14, 21-4 in 26 minutes. His progression assured India of another medal in the event, with Paralympic medallist Suhas Yathiraj having also reached the semifinals earlier.
However, Ruthick Ragupathi's campaign in the men's singles SU5 category ended in the quarterfinals after he lost 19-21, 14-21 to China's Mingpan Li in 37 minutes.
With the latest medals, India had reached a tally of 41 medals, including 11 gold, 13 silver and 17 bronze, placing the country joint fifth in the standings at the time of writing.
The strong showing in para-athletics further strengthened India's campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with Praveen and Banti's double podium finish among the day's standout performances. (ANI)