From village to the podium: Five unseen stories behind India's contingent

Indian para athletes arrive in Aichi Nagoya for the fifth edition of the Asian Para Games with high expectations.

A host of defending champions and record holders across disciplines add depth to the 168-member Indian contingent.

Para athletics, para badminton, para table tennis, para archery and para shooting have consistently contributed to India’s growing medal tally at the games. The country’s growing depth in these disciplines suggests another strong showing.

Here’s a look at some stories that inspire:

Kapil Parmar (Para Judo)

Kapil Parmar did the unimaginable when he became the first Indian judoka to win a bronze at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

At Aichi Nagoya, Parmar will be looking to equal or better his silver from the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.

Parmar was introduced to judo at a young age but lost interest and gave up on the sport. He would rather plough the land with his family in Sehore village near Bhopal. Sports was nowhere close in terms of priorities.

While working in a waterlogged field, Parmar was electrocuted when an electricity cable fell into the water around him, leaving him completely blind.

He spent a long time recovering in a hospital in Bhopal, but his sight never returned.

Parmar eventually returned to the sport he had left behind and joined a judo academy in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, run by eighth-dan coach Munawar Anzar. His comeback culminated in a historic bronze at the Paris Paralympics

Payal Nag (Para Archery)

Payal is the world's only archer without hands and feet.

Payal lost all four limbs when she was only five. In 2015, Payal met with an accident after coming in contact with an 11,000-volt power line. Her legs and arms were rendered useless.

Her neighbours and relatives suggested killing her. But with the help of the District Collector, Payal was placed in Parvatigiri Balniketan – an orphanage in Balangir in 2019.

She stayed in the orphanage for three years before coach Kuldeep Vedwan spotted her and got her to his academy in Jammu.

Payal hails from a poor family in Odisha and her elder sister Varsha Nag stays with her at the academy hostel and takes care of everything for Payal.

Aichi Nagoya will be Payal’s first Asian para Games.

Manish Narwal (Para Shooting)

Manish Narwal is an Indian para pistol shooter born on October 17, 2001, in Faridabad, Haryana. He was born with an impairment in his right hand

Narwal began his shooting career in Ballabgarh in 2016 and competes in the SH1 category. He did not let his disability deter him from pursuing his passion for shooting. In 2021, he set a world record of 229.1 points while winning gold in the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 event at the Para Shooting World Cup in Al Ain, UAE.

Trained under coach Rakesh Thakur, Narwal has established himself on the international stage. He won bronze at the 2019 World Shooting Para Sport Championships in Sydney, Australia.

At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, held in 2021, Narwal made history by winning gold in the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 event with a Paralympic record of 218.2 points. He returned from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol SH1 event.

Nishad Kumar (High Jump T47)

Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar hails from Badaun village in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district and belongs to a farming family. At the age of six, Nishad’s arm had to be amputated after was caught in a fodder-cutting machine.

Nishad began participating in athletics at the age of eight under coach Ramesh at Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Katohar Khurd. He initially competed in events such as the 200m and 400m, as well as the high jump. In 2013, he won silver in the high jump at the National School Games in the sub-junior category.

In 2017, he began competing in para athletics and competed in the men’s high jump T47 event. He went on to win silver at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Jhandu Kumar (Para powerlifter)

Para Powerlifter Jhandu Kumar secured the country’s first medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He won a bronze in the men's heavyweight category lifting a total of 190kg.

Kumar, who was affected by polio since birth, started his para sports journey in 2017. He started with shot put and discus throw and competed in the F-55 category before switching to para powerlifting.

Kumar is the son of a vegetable vendor who overcame significant financial and physical challenges. Kumar joined the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Gandhinagar and started training under para coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu.