Indian para judoka Kokila secures silver on opening day

Indian judoka Kokila secured a silver medal in the women's J2 -52kg event at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Monday. She finished on the podium at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Japan after a swift final match against Kyrgyzstan's Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy. Her opponent claimed victory by Ippon in just 21 seconds. India continues to establish a strong presence in international para-sports, building on recent global successes and bringing pride to the nation.

Strong opening day for Indian athletes

Kokila’s silver medal marked the fourth podium finish for India on the opening day of the continental event. Para-shooters Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara earned gold and silver respectively in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. Furthermore, Kapil Parmar brought home a bronze medal in the men's J1 -70kg category. He defeated Indonesia's Shidqi Rafli Ahnaf by Ippon in 69 seconds. This marks his second continental medal following his success in Hangzhou last year.

Also read: Kapil Parmar claims Men's Judo Bronze Medal for India at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan

Mixed results in other sporting events

Para-table tennis player Sonalben Patel advanced to the women's singles Class 3 semifinals after defeating Thailand's Dararat Asayut 3-1. She will face South Korea's top seed Jiyu Yoon on Tuesday. Powerlifter Jaspreet Kaur narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in the women's 45kg final with a 100kg lift. Indian swimmers also competed fiercely, with Vaishnavi Vinod Jagtap placing sixth in the women's 400m freestyle S8 final. Niranjan Mukundan and Gopichand Lingutla secured fourth and fifth positions in the men's 400m freestyle S7 final.