Sandeep Breaks World Record to Win 400m Gold as India Cross 100-Medal Mark at 2026 Asian Para Games

India crossed the 100-medal mark at the 2026 Asian Para Games after Sandeep broke the world record in the men’s 400m T64 event to clinch gold on Friday, while compatriot Ajay Kumar secured bronze.

This marked the second consecutive Asian Para Games in which India surpassed 100 medals. The country’s best-ever tally remains 108 medals, achieved at the Hangzhou 2022 edition.

Making his debut at the Asian Para Games, Sandeep won gold with a world-record time of 52.28 seconds. Ajay Kumar finished third in 53.61 seconds, also bettering the previous Games record.

Haney Sets World Record in Javelin

Sandeep was not the only Indian athlete to set a world record on Friday. Haney produced a record-breaking throw of 60.49 metres in the men’s javelin F37/38 final to win gold, earning 1,116 Raza points.

Iran’s Hormoz Seidikazpounji claimed silver with a personal-best throw of 50.68 metres, scoring 1,009 points, while China’s Yu Chengjie took bronze with an Asian-record effort of 53.66 metres and 943 points.

Athletes in the F37 and F38 classifications compete together in this javelin event, with their performances ranked using the Raza points system.

Sandeep competes in the T44 classification, while Ajay Kumar is categorised as T64. Both classifications relate to lower-limb impairments, and athletes from the two categories may compete together in certain events.

More Silver Medals for India

Earlier on Friday, India’s Nimisha Chakkungalparambil and Parmod Bijarnia won silver medals in the women’s long jump T47 and men’s 1,500m T46 events, respectively.

Nimisha secured silver with a best jump of 5.37 metres. Sri Lanka’s Dhananjana Wickramasinghe won gold with a Games-record leap of 5.52 metres, finishing 15 centimetres ahead of the Indian athlete.

The latest results added to India’s growing medal tally, with record-breaking performances highlighting the country’s campaign at the continental para-sports event.