Asian Para Games: India start strong as Sheetal equals archery world record

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Mona Agarwal wins shooting gold, Avani Lekhara takes silver; Kokila assures India of judo medal

Chandigarh: Indian athletes made a strong start to their campaign at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Monday, with Sheetal Devi equalling the world record in para archery, while Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara secured a gold-silver finish in shooting, according to the official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games portal.

Mona won the women’s 10-m air rifle standing SH1 title with 250.0 points, narrowly beating compatriot Avani, who scored 249.6. South Korea’s Lee Yunri took bronze with 227.9 points, according to the official results.

Sheetal scored 704 of 720 in the women’s compound archery ranking round, equalling the world record and setting a new Asian record.

India also assured itself of a medal in para judo after Kokila defeated China’s Yi Liu 1-0 in the women’s J2 52-kg semifinal. She advanced to the final, where she was scheduled to face Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy for gold.

In the men’s J1 70-kg category, Kapil Parmar lost his semifinal against Indonesia’s Junaedi and was due to contest the bronze medal match against another Indonesian opponent.

The fifth edition of the games, being held from October 18 to 24, features 18 sports. India has fielded 168 athletes as part of a 281-member contingent and is targeting more than 100 medals after winning a record 111 at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China.