India’s first athletics gold in Japan at the 2026 Asian Para Games had a small American influence.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Roderick Townsend-Roberts became the long jump and high jump champion in the T47 category. In the same category, Nishad Kumar took the high jump silver behind him at the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Paralympics. The Indian did not see why he too couldn’t attempt a similar dual jumping act.
At the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, the stage of his first international competition in the new event, Nishad took a big step by winning the men’s long jump T47 gold.
It opened India’s gold tally on the track and field on Monday. Javelin thrower Rinku Hooda, who lost his mother last month, and visually impaired 1,500m runner Soumya, on her Asian Para Games debut, followed suit during a six-medal evening for Indian athletes.
Shooting set the tone in the morning with Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara scripting a 1-2 finish in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1. In all, India had 11 medallists on the Games’ opening medal day.
India were fourth in the medals tally with 11 medals — four gold, five silver and two bronze.
Nishad was quietly confident of being one of them. Never mind that the high jumper moved into long jump territory for the first time competitively.
“There were no questions in my mind. I felt fully prepared,” Nishad told HT after his 7.11m effort pipped Uzbekistan’s Omadbek Khasanov (6.99m) and Sri Lanka’s Mohammadu Safran (6.55m). “I had the belief in myself, my team, and our plan.”
That plan was set in motion around eight months ago when the double act idea was mooted, with Roderick in mind.
“Our idea was to make him a double gold medallist for the 2028 Paralympics,” Satyanarayana, India’s para athletics head coach, said from Nagoya. “We thought if the American could do it, why not Nishad? The work for long jump and high jump is quite similar. Technically, there are a few differences, but aspects like strength and flexibility remain the same. Nishad’s lower body is very strong.”
Nishad, whose right arm was accidentally severed at age six by a grass-cutting machine while helping his father in their farm in Himachal, is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist and defending Asian gold medallist in high jump in T47 (athletes with upper limb impairments). He had no issues about doubling the workload, setting his sights on a double podium finish in Japan.
“I knew time was less, but we trained accordingly,” said Nishad. “My focus shifted more to the long jump compared to high jump. Now that I have won gold in my first long jump event, it makes me feel really good and gives me more belief for the high jump.”
In the men’s javelin F46 event, Rinku won gold with a season’s best throw of 65.11m, edging past compatriot Ajeet Singh who took silver with 65.02m. Indonesia’s Bagus Saktyono took bronze (55.30m) in the three-man final. Haryana’s Rinku had his left arm amputated at age three after an accident. A month ago, he lost his mother.
“It’s been a very tough time for Rinku. He could not eat properly for days after he lost his mother. Still, he became a champion,” Satyanarayana said.
Also a champion was 18-year-old Soumya, who won the women’s 1,500m T12/T13 final with a personal best timing of 5:12.39. Radha Venkatesh came second clocking 5:30.90, followed by Japan’s Mana Sasaki in the combined classification for visually impaired athletes. This was the Karnataka youngster’s first Asian Para Games.
“We expected a silver from Soumya and gold from Radha because Radha is more experienced. But we are really happy for Soumya,” said Satyanarayana.
The Nagoya track had another Indian medallist, Ravanni Valasanaini winning the women’s 1,500m T11 bronze. Apart from shooting and athletics, India’s other medals on the day came in swimming (Ravi Karthik Budigina, silver in 100m freestyle S13) and judo (Kokila, silver in women’s J2 -52kg and Kapil Parmar, bronze in men’s J1-70kg).