India Secure One Gold and Three Silver Medals on Fifth Day of Competition

Aichi-Nagoya, October 23 (H.S.): India’s impressive campaign at the 2026 Asian Para Games continued on Friday, the fifth day of competition, as Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi created history by winning gold in the men’s recurve doubles archery event. India also added three silver medals to its tally, with Thulasimathi Murugesan in women’s singles para badminton, Pramod in the men’s 1,500-metre T46 athletics event, and the women’s recurve doubles archery pair of Bhavana and Pooja finishing second in their respective events.

In the men’s recurve doubles final, Harvinder Singh and debutant Vijay Sundi defeated China 5-1 to secure the gold medal. The opening set ended in a 35-35 tie, but the Indian pair gained the upper hand in the subsequent sets, winning the second 37-36 and the third 38-36 to seal the contest. Demonstrating precision under pressure, Harvinder and Vijay overcame the Chinese challenge to clinch the title. Harvinder is a beneficiary of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

In the women’s recurve doubles event, Bhavana and Pooja claimed silver after losing 0-6 to China in the gold-medal match. The Chinese archers won the first set 38-31, the second 35-30 and the third 39-29. The Chinese pair averaged 9.33 points per arrow, compared with 7.50 points for the Indian duo. Despite the defeat in the final, Bhavana and Pooja secured a podium finish for India by advancing to the title clash.

In para badminton, Thulasimathi Murugesan won silver in the women’s singles SU5 category. She was defeated by China’s Qiuxia Yang 21-18, 21-11 in the final. Thulasimathi had delivered a strong performance throughout the tournament to reach the title match, but her Chinese opponent proved superior on the day.

Born on April 11, 2002, in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, Thulasimathi began playing sports at the age of five before taking up badminton. She was born with a congenital deformity in her left hand that affected the development of her thumb. She has also faced a nerve-related condition in her hand and muscle weakness. Her father, D. Murugesan, played a pivotal role in her development, training her for five years and encouraging her to pursue para sports. Thulasimathi has also won medals at the World Championships and the Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International.

In athletics, Pramod secured silver in the men’s 1,500-metre T46 event with a time of 4 minutes 9.65 seconds. He had also won silver in the same event at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, making this his second consecutive silver medal in the discipline at the continental competition.

India’s gold medal on the fifth day came through the men’s recurve doubles archery pair of Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi. The silver medals won by Thulasimathi, Pramod, and the women’s recurve doubles pair of Bhavana and Pooja further strengthened the country’s medal tally at the 2026 Asian Para Games.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar