Asian Para Games 2026: Ayush Verma wins gold in men’s shot put F53

• Ayush Verma wins shot put F53 gold with an 8.16m throw, adding to his earlier javelin bronze

• Nishad Kumar claims his second gold, Deepthi Jeevanji defends her 400m T20 title, and Simran equals a Games record

• India sweeps all three men’s discus medals, while Preeti Pal and other para-athletes add to the medal tally

India’s Ayush Verma clinched the gold medal in the men’s shot put F53 final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games on Wednesday, delivering a best throw of 8.16 metres to top the podium.

Iran’s Alireza Hemami secured silver with a throw of 8.09m, while Kazakhstan’s Makhambet Serikkaliyev claimed bronze with 6.81m.

The victory marks Ayush’s second medal at the games in Japan. He had earlier won bronze in the men’s javelin throw F53/F54 event, sharing the podium with compatriot Pradeep Kumar, who secured silver with a personal-best throw of 27.45m.

The F53 classification covers athletes with significant impairments affecting muscle power, limb function or movement. The seated throwing event demands upper-body strength, coordination, precise technique and consistency.

Ayush began his competitive para-athletics journey in 2020, focusing on shot put under coach Robin Kumar. Since then, he has continued developing his technique and adapting to the physical and technical demands of the F53 category.

Ayush’s triumph adds to India’s impressive medal haul at the games, following a series of strong performances by the country’s para-athletes on Tuesday.

Deepthi Jeevanji successfully defended her women’s 400m T20 title, while Nishad Kumar claimed his second gold medal of the games. Simran also equalled a games record in the women’s 200m T12.

India enjoyed further success in the field events, with Pranav Soorma and Devender Kumar winning gold medals in discus throw competitions.

Nishad delivered another standout performance in the men’s high jump T47, clearing 2.04m to win gold with a new games record. Having already claimed the long jump T47 title on Monday, he became a double gold medallist at Aichi-Nagoya.

India secured all three medals in the men’s discus throw F43/F44/F62/F64 event.

Devender Kumar won gold with 49.71m and 781 Raza points, while Rakesh took silver with 49.35m and 771 points. Pardeep Kumar secured bronze after recording a throw of 51.15m, earning 669 points under the event’s classification scoring system.

In the men’s javelin throw F53/F54, Pradeep Kumar won silver with a personal-best effort of 27.45m, while Ayush added bronze with 17.88m.

Preeti Pal contributed another medal to India’s tally, claiming silver in the women’s 200m T35 with a time of 29.53 seconds. China’s Zhou Xia won gold in a games-record 28.03 seconds.

India also secured two bronze medals in men’s shot put events. Praveen Sharma finished third in the F11 category with a throw of 13.86m, while Hokato Hotozhe Sema claimed bronze in the F56/F57 event with 14.65m.

Ayush’s shot put gold highlights India’s continued strength across track and field events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games. With medals across throwing events, jumps and track races, Indian athletes have continued to deliver notable performances throughout the competition.

For Ayush, the gold adds another milestone to a sporting journey that began in 2020 and builds on his earlier javelin bronze. His performance also strengthens India’s medal campaign as the games continue in Japan.

With IANS inputs