India enjoyed a successful day at the Asian Para Games 2026 as Ayush Verma won gold in the men’s shot put F53 event, while the teenage archery duo of Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag secured silver in the compound women’s doubles competition on Wednesday.
Ayush produced a best throw of 8.16 metres in his fifth attempt to claim the top position in the men’s F53 shot put. Iran’s Alireza Hemami finished second with 8.09m, while Kazakhstan’s Makhambet Serikkaliyev took bronze with a throw of 6.81m.
The gold medal added to Ayush’s growing medal tally at the Games. He had earlier secured bronze in the men’s javelin throw F53/F54 event on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Asian Para Games 2026 Day 2 Wrap: India Reach 24 Medals As Nishad Kumar Wins Second Gold
The F53 classification is for athletes with significant limitations in trunk and leg movement, while hand function is relatively less affected. Competitors perform their throws from a seated position, using their upper body to generate power.
Sheetal Devi And Payal Nag Win Archery Silver
India’s Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag claimed silver in the compound women’s doubles event after losing 141-150 to China’s Xu Xueqing and Zhao Jing in the gold-medal match.
The Indian teenagers struggled to match the consistency of their Chinese opponents after the opening end and were forced to chase the score for the remainder of the contest.
Paris Paralympics bronze medallist Sheetal delivered a more consistent performance, hitting four 10s during the final. However, Asian Para Games debutant Payal found it difficult to maintain the same accuracy, with her arrows largely landing in the 9 and 8 rings before she finished with a 7 on her final attempt.
The silver marked Sheetal’s second consecutive runner-up finish in the event. She had also won silver at the previous edition of the Games, partnering Sarita Devi. The Indian archer remains in contention for another medal in the individual event.
Sheetal, from Loidhar village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital condition that left her arms underdeveloped. She competes using her feet to operate her bow.
ALSO READ: Asian Para Games 2026: India Win 11 Medals On Day 1 As Mona Agarwal, Nishad Kumar Strike Gold
Payal, from Odisha, lost all four limbs following an accident involving an 11,000-volt high-tension power line when she was eight years old. She rose to prominence in April this year after defeating Sheetal to win gold at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok.
Toman Kumar And Shyam Sunder Swami Miss Bronze
India narrowly missed another archery medal in the compound men’s doubles event. Toman Kumar and Shyam Sunder Swami lost 153-154 to China’s Ai Xinliang and Zhang Yicheng in the bronze-medal match.
Kumar has a permanent physical impairment following the amputation of his left leg, while Swami has a locomotor impairment affecting the mobility of his lower limbs.