Asian Para Games: Suvarna Raj clinches gold in women's discus throw; para-shuttlers Manisha Ramadass, Pramod Bhagat settle for bronze

Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 22 (ANI): India's Suvarna Raj won the gold medal in the women's discus throw F54 event at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a best effort of 15.66 metres, securing the country's first gold medal of the day on Thursday. Competing in a six-athlete field, Suvarna delivered a consistent performance, recording four throws beyond the 15-metre mark across her six attempts. Her gold-medal-winning effort came in her fifth attempt, helping her finish at the top of the podium and add another gold to India's medal tally at the continental para-sporting event. Iran's Shahla Hadidi secured the silver medal with a best throw of 15.45 metres, while Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy claimed bronze with an effort of 14.65 metres. Suvarna's victory marked a strong start to the day for the Indian contingent as the country's athletes continued their campaign at the Asian Para Games. Her medal marked India's 15th gold at the Games. Meanwhile, Indian para-shuttlers Manisha Ramadass and Pramod Bhagat settled for the bronze medal in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event after losing their semifinal against Indonesia's Oktila Leani Ratri and Hikmat Ramdani. The Indian pair went down 21-16, 13-21, 17-21 in a three-game contest, conceding the match after winning the opening game. Ratri and Ramdani will now face India's Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar in the final, setting up an opportunity for India to secure the gold medal in the event. Earlier today, Indian para-archer Swati Chaudhary won the silver medal in the women's W1 individual archery event after losing to China's Mengkan Cen 4-6. Swati had a chance to win India's first gold medal in archery at the ongoing edition, taking a 4-2 lead after three ends. However, Cen staged a comeback to win the final 6-4, leaving the Indian archer with the silver medal. With the three medals won so far in the day, India's medal tally now stands at 65 medals with 15 gold medals, 22 silver medals and 28 bronze medals. (ANI)