Asian Para Games 2026: Top Indian athletes to look out for

India will field 168 athletes, including 112 men and 56 women across 11 disciplines at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi Nagoya starting October 16.

Athletes from 45 nations will be vying for 492 medal events across 18 sports.

Indian para athletes registered their best-ever Asian Para Games campaign in Hangzhou 2023 with a fifth-place finish, adding a total of 111 medals (29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze).

Back then, Indian athletes set three world records with Sumit Antil and Sundar Singh Gurjar rewriting the men’s javelin F64 and F46 records, respectively, while the men’s compound archery team set a new world mark of 158/160.

With stars such as Sumit Antil, Pramod Bhagat, Sheetal Devi, Nitesh Kumar, Avani Lekhara, Harvinder Singh and Bhavina Patel leading the charge, India will look to build on its historic performance.

Here are some of the Indian para-athletes to watch out for at Aichi-Nagoya:

Sumit Antil (Javelin Throw F64)

India’s para-athletics superstar Sumit Antil heads into the 2026 Asian Para Games on the back of a record-breaking performance this season.

He smashed his own World Record in the men’s javelin throw F64 with a distance of 74.82m at the Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru in May this year.

The 27-year-old from Sonipat, Haryana, surpassed his previous world record of 73.29m, set at the 2022 Asian Para Games, where he clinched the title.

Sumit is a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, having won gold at the 2020 and 2024 Paralympic Games. He has also claimed three consecutive World Para Athletics Championships titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Sumit is one athlete to look forward to in Aihi Nagoya as he will be the favourite to defend his title.

Pramod Bhagat (Para Badminton)

One of India’s most accomplished para badminton players, Pramod Bhagat will lead the Indian contingent as flag bearer at the 2026 Asian Para Games.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medallist won the men’s singles SL3 title in 2021 and has added multiple world championship titles to his name.

At the Asian Para Games, Bhagat has won six medals across the 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions, including two gold and four bronze medals.

His gold medals came in men’s singles SL3 at Jakarta 2018 and men’s doubles SL3-SL4 at Hangzhou 2022, and he will now aim to add a few more as he will compete in three events in Aichi-Nagoya.

Bhagat competes in the SL3 category, which is the toughest for players with lower-limb impairments that affect their movement on court, and the athletes compete in half-court.

Avani Lekhara (Para Shooting)

Two-time Paralympic champion Avani Lekhara will be one of India’s key medal contenders at the 2026 Asian Para Games.

Avani made history at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, winning gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 and bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions.

She became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold and also the first Indian woman to win multiple medals at a single edition of the Games.

The 24-year-old continued her strong run in 2025, winning gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing at the Para Shooting World Cup in Al Ain in May. She also won bronze at the World Championships last month.

Competing in the SH1 classification, Avani is among India’s most accomplished para shooters.

Bhavina Patel (Para Table Tennis)

Bhavina Patel is one of India’s leading para table tennis players, with two Asian Para Games medals (a silver and a bronze) won across the 2018 and 2022 editions.

At Aichi Nagoya, Bhavina will lead the Indian contingent alongside Pramod Bhagat as one of the flag bearers.

Her biggest achievements include a silver medal in women’s singles at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Bhavina has also enjoyed success on the international circuit, winning gold at an ITTF World Para Elite event and silver in the women’s singles Class 4-5 category at an ITTF World Para Future event.

These performances have helped her reach the top spot in the ITTF World Para rankings, and she will now enter the Para Asiad with her third consecutive medal in mind.

Sheetal Devi (Para Compound Archery)

World No. 1 Sheetal Devi is one of India’s brightest para-archery stars and the world’s first female armless archer, shooting with the help of her legs and feet.

The 18-year-old made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, winning bronze in the mixed team compound event with Rakesh Kumar.

She then improved it with her maiden individual world title at the 2025 World Archery Para Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, defeating defending champion Oznur Cure Girdi of Türkiye 146-143 in the women’s compound final.

She was also named the 2025 World Archery Para Archer of the Year.

In September 2026, Sheetal won her first individual gold at the World Archery Para Series circuit in Ahmedabad, beating Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan in a shoot-off.

She also set a world record of 1,400/1440 points in the mixed team compound event alongside Rakesh Kumar at the Ahmedabad Para Series.

Sheetal had won the compound women’s individual gold at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games and a mixed team bronze with Rakesh Kumar.