India were off to a spectacular start at the Asian Para Games with medals, including four gold, pouring in from four different sports following assured performances by established names like wheelchair-bound shooter Mona Agarwal and long jumper Nishad Kumar here on Monday.
Armless archer Sheetal Devi also produced a statement performance as she equalled the world record in the women’s compound qualification round before combining with Rakesh Kumar to set a new world mark in the mixed team event. In all, India collected 11 medals — four gold, five silver and two bronze — to be fourth in the overall standings. The medal rush began quite early in the day with Mona staging a stirring comeback in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) final to beat compatriot Avani Lekhara for the gold. Mona, a bronze-medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, climbed from sixth place to set an Asian Para Games record of 250.0, edging two-time Paralympic champion Avani by a mere 0.4 points.
The 24-year-old Avani, who entered as the defending champion, settled for the silver with 249.6.
Her medal also secured India a second quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, with Mona having already earned one at the World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) World Championships in Changwon, South Korea last month, where she won a silver. Mona set the pace in qualification, topping the eight-shooter field with 629.1 to establish an Asian Para Games qualification record. Avani was second with 626.4.
The evening belonged to the para-athletics competitors, with two-time Paralympic silver-winner Nishad Kumar, middle-distance runner Soumya, and javelin thrower Rinku finishing on top in their respective competitions. For Nishad, it was special performance as he was competing in an international long jump event for the first time in his career.