Aichi-Nagoya, 23 October (H.S.): India’s para-athlete Pranav Soorma clinched the gold medal in the men’s club throw F51 event at the 2026 Asian Para Games, delivering a record-breaking performance to secure the country’s 30th gold medal at the Games. Soorma registered a throw of 32.87 metres, setting a new Games record. India’s Dharambir also made the podium, winning bronze with a best effort of 27.71 metres. Meanwhile, another Indian competitor, Amit Kumar, narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.

Soorma began the competition with a throw of 31.66 metres in his first attempt, improving to 32.11 metres in the second. His third and fourth attempts were ruled invalid. He then recorded 31.95 metres in his fifth attempt before producing his best effort of 32.87 metres in the sixth and final round to secure the gold medal and establish a new Games record.

South Korea’s Ji-won Jung claimed the silver medal with a personal best of 28.40 metres. His best effort came in the opening round. Although he attempted to improve on that performance in subsequent rounds, he was unable to surpass the distance.

India’s Dharambir secured the bronze medal with a best throw of 27.71 metres. He opened with 23.66 metres but failed to register valid distances in his second and third attempts. He returned to the competition with a throw of 25.89 metres in the fourth round before improving to 27.71 metres in the fifth. His sixth and final attempt measured 22.89 metres. The distance recorded in his fifth attempt proved sufficient to secure third place.

India’s Amit Kumar finished fourth with a best effort of 27.26 metres. He recorded 22.52 metres in his opening attempt before producing his best throw of 27.26 metres in the second round. He followed this with throws of 26.27 metres and 26.54 metres in his third and fourth attempts, respectively, while his final two attempts were ruled invalid. Amit missed out on the bronze medal by just 45 centimetres.

Soorma’s record-setting gold and Dharambir’s bronze marked a significant achievement for Indian para-athletics, with the two athletes securing a double podium finish for the country in the men’s club throw F51 event.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar