The curtains will come down on the Fifth Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, today, bringing the continental sporting event to a close.

 

Double gold medallists Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal will be India’s flag-bearers at the closing ceremony, scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM Indian Standard Time. Both athletes secured two gold medals each in their respective disciplines.

 

Nishad Kumar won gold in the men’s high jump and long jump in the T47 category. With this achievement, he joined para-runner Ankur Dhama and armless archer Sheetal Devi as one of the few Indian athletes to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games.

 

Mona Agarwal, meanwhile, won gold in the women’s 10-metre air rifle standing SH1 event with a Games record. She followed it up with another gold in the women’s 50-metre rifle three positions SH1 event, setting a world record.

 

India concluded its campaign with a record haul of 114 medals, including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze after a strong final-day finish yesterday. India’s medal tally received a significant boost yesterday, with athletes from para-badminton, archery and shooting contributing to the gold medal count. For the first time at these Games, para-athletics was not India’s leading source of gold medals. The country surpassed the previous edition medal count of 108 medals comprising 27 gold, 32 silver and 49 bronze medals, achieved at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.