Indian para-athletes secure crucial silver medals in Japan

Indian para-athletes Ravi Budigina and Akira Banothu clinched silver medals in their respective events during the ongoing Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya. These recent podium finishes push the overall national medal tally to 58, which includes 14 gold, 21 silver, and 23 bronze medals. Para-swimmer Ravi Budigina secured second place in the Men's 100m Backstroke S13 final by clocking a time of 1:10.10. This impressive performance marks his second silver medal at the current event. Uzbekistan's Egor Bolotov claimed the top spot in the same race, finishing in 58.43 seconds to establish a new Games record. By finishing 11.67 seconds behind the leader, Budigina firmly secured his position on the podium.

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Runners excel on track

Debutant Akira Banothu made an immediate impact by claiming silver in the Men's 400m T35/T38 final. He completed the race in 51.25 seconds. Since the event utilized a points-based classification system for mixed categories, his performance earned 948 points. Mohammed Khalaf from Iraq secured gold with a time of 57.08 seconds, earning 1,074 points under the T35 classification. Other notable track performances included Dilip Gavit Mahadu capturing gold in the Men’s 100m T46 final with a swift time of 10.69 seconds. Fellow runner Mohammed Basil grabbed silver in the T47 category, crossing the finish line in 10.72 seconds to set a new Games record. Such consistent track victories highlight the growing depth of sporting talent representing the nation on the global stage.