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Nishad cleared 2.04m to claim his second gold of the Games, having won the men’s long jump T47 title on Monday. The high jump victory made him only the third Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games, joining armless archer Sheetal Devi and runner Ankur Dhama, who achieved the feat at the 2022 Hangzhou edition.

India’s gold rush was powered by other standout performances on the track and in the field. Deepthi Jeevanji successfully defended her women’s 400m T20 title in a Games-record time of 56.36 seconds, while Simran won the women’s 200m T12 gold with a record-breaking 24.80 seconds. Pranav Soorma and Devender Kumar completed the five-gold haul with victories in their respective discus throw events.

India ended the second day in sixth place in the overall standings with 35 medals: nine gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze. Athletics accounted for 20 of those medals, underlining its importance to India’s campaign.

Nishad’s second gold in as many days was the headline act of India’s athletics campaign. After winning the long jump T47 title on Monday, the 26-year-old returned to the field on Tuesday and cleared 2.04m to take gold in the high jump, setting a new Games record in the process.

The achievement placed Nishad in a select group of Indian athletes to have won two gold medals at one edition of the continental para-sport event. Dhama had won the men’s 1500m T11 and 5000m T11 titles at Hangzhou, while Sheetal won gold in the women’s individual compound open and mixed team compound open events.

Nishad’s journey to the top has been marked by resilience. His right arm was severed in an accident involving a grass-cutting machine at his family farm in Amb, Himachal Pradesh, when he was six years old. He went on to become one of India’s leading para-athletes, winning high jump silver medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics.

His double gold in Nagoya adds another significant achievement to that record.DEEPTHI, SIMRAN SET THE PACE

Deepthi continued her dominance in the women’s 400m T20, winning her second consecutive Asian Para Games gold in the event. The 23-year-old from Telangana clocked 56.36 seconds to set a new Games record, finishing well ahead of Japan’s Niina Kanno, who took silver in 58.92 seconds. Kanno’s compatriot Akane Kato claimed bronze in 1:00.26.

Deepthi, a former world champion, also won bronze in the event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She had claimed the world title in 2024 and remains one of India’s leading athletes in the T20 classification, which covers athletes with intellectual impairments.

Simran delivered another record-breaking performance in the women’s 200m T12. The Paralympic bronze medallist clocked 24.80 seconds to claim gold, ahead of Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh, who finished in 25.02 seconds.

Tejalben Damor, competing at the Asian Para Games for the first time, completed an Indian podium celebration by winning bronze in 25.23 seconds, a personal best.

Simran’s victory came despite challenges with recovery after her heat. The sprinter, who is competing with a new guide, Shivam, had also spoken about difficulties finding suitable vegetarian food during the Games. She nevertheless produced a Games-record run to secure her first gold at the continental event. She is scheduled to compete in the 100m next, an event in which she won silver at the previous edition.SOORMA, DEVENDER WIN FIELD GOLD

India’s success continued in the discus throw, with Pranav Soorma and Devender Kumar winning gold medals in their respective events.

Soorma won the men’s F51/52/53 combined discus throw with an Asian-record effort of 11.66m. The 32-year-old, who won club throw gold in the F51 category at the previous Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, added another major title to his collection.

Ram Ratan Singh secured silver in the same event with a throw of 10.35m. Iran’s Alireza Hemami took bronze. The event combined athletes from different classifications, with the final standings decided using the Raza Point System, which adjusts performances according to athletes’ classifications. As a result, rankings are not determined by distance alone.

Devender Kumar led an Indian sweep of the men’s discus throw F44/64 event. He won gold with a throw of 49.71m, while Rakesh took silver and Pardeep Kumar claimed bronze. The sweep gave India another complete podium in a field event.SHOOTERS, POWERLIFTERS ADD MEDALS

India’s medal count grew beyond athletics, with shooting and powerlifting contributing silver and bronze medals on Tuesday.

Manish Narwal won silver in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event with a score of 233.7. South Korea’s Jo Jeongdu claimed gold with an Asian Para Games record of 241.3, while China’s Yang Chao took bronze.

Narwal’s silver also secured India a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. He became the third Indian para-shooter to secure a quota place for the Games, following Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara, who won gold and silver respectively in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event on Monday.

Debutant Shrishti Arora won bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol SH1 final with a score of 214.7. India’s shooting contingent had collected four medals after two days of competition.

In para powerlifting, Ashok Kumar Malik claimed silver in the men’s 65kg category with a best lift of 192kg. The 37-year-old improved on the bronze he won at the previous edition. China’s Zou Yi took gold with 216kg, while Indonesia’s Margono finished third with 177kg.SWIMMING, TABLE TENNIS DELIVER

India added two more bronze medals in swimming through Himanshu Nandal and Niranjan Mukundan.

Himanshu finished third in the men’s 400m freestyle S11, clocking 5:10.91. The 22-year-old, who was born blind due to optic nerve failure, secured a podium finish in a four-swimmer field.

Niranjan won bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley SM7, finishing in 2:57.01. The result added to the medal collection of the 32-year-old, who is competing at his fourth consecutive Asian Para Games.

Para table tennis also produced a significant haul for India, with five bronze medals through Bhavina Patel, Sonalben Patel, Baby Sahana Ravi, Prachi Pandey and Jehan Dorab Madan.

Sahana and Prachi made history by becoming the first Indian para table tennis players to win medals in the standing category at the Asian Para Games. Their achievements, alongside the medals won by Bhavina, Sonalben and Jehan, helped India surpass its two-bronze tally from the previous edition of the competition.ARCHERS, SHUTTLERS ASSURE MEDALS

India’s prospects remained strong in archery and badminton, with athletes advancing to the final stages and assuring the country of further medals.

Defending champion Sheetal Devi reached the women’s compound individual final after defeating Japan’s Shinohara Aya 145-137 in the semifinal. Sheetal had equalled the world record and set a new Asian record in qualification. She will face Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah in the gold-medal match.

Swati Chaudhary also reached the final in the women’s W1 event, beating South Korea’s Eunhee Lee 6-2 in the semifinal to assure India of at least silver.

India’s women’s compound doubles pair of Sheetal and Payal Nag, women’s recurve doubles pair Pooja and Bhawna, and men’s recurve doubles combination Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi also advanced to their respective gold-medal matches. The recurve and compound mixed teams progressed to the semifinals.

In badminton, world champion Pramod Bhagat and Paralympic gold medallist Kumar Nitesh advanced to the men’s singles SL3 semifinals, assuring India of medals. Bhagat defeated Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara 21-12, 21-10 and will face South Korea’s Lee Seunghu. Nitesh beat compatriot Vikram Kumar 21-8, 21-8 and will meet Indonesia’s Al Muh Imran.

India also secured places in the mixed doubles semifinals through Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass in SL3-SU5, and Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan in SH6. Nitesh and Thulasimathi Murugesan also moved into the SL3-SU5 semifinals.

With five athletics gold medals, a growing medal count across disciplines and further podium finishes assured in archery and badminton, India finished Day 2 with momentum heading into the next round of competition.- Ends