Asian Para Games 2026: India Targets 17 Gold Medals on Day 1 as Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal Lead Charge

India will begin its campaign at the Asian Para Games 2026 with an ambitious medal challenge, with the schedule for Sunday, October 18, featuring 17 gold-medal opportunities across shooting, athletics, swimming, judo and powerlifting. 

Shooting stars Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal, high jumper Nishad Kumar and several other leading Indian para-athletes will be among those in action as the country looks to make a strong start.

The opening day will also feature ranking rounds in archery, alongside group-stage and preliminary matches in para table tennis and para badminton. With finals spread across multiple disciplines, India’s athletes will have opportunities to establish early momentum in the continental competition.

The schedule includes six swimming finals, five athletics gold-medal events and two gold-medal opportunities each in shooting, judo and powerlifting, accounting for the 17 golds India is targeting on Day 1.

Para shooting will be one of the major medal events for India on the opening day, with two gold medals available in the programme.

Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal are among the prominent Indian names to watch. Lekhara has established herself as one of India’s leading para shooters, while Agarwal is also a major competitor on the international stage.

The schedule includes the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, with qualification and final rounds listed. The men’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 competition is also scheduled, offering another opportunity for India to compete for a podium finish.

The qualification rounds will be crucial, as athletes must first secure places in the finals before challenging for medals. The pressure of an opening day can be significant, but India will hope its experienced shooters can convert their preparation into strong performances.

Athletics offers five gold-medal opportunities

Athletics will be another important source of medal opportunities, with five gold-medal events listed in the Day 1 programme.

Nishad Kumar is among the leading Indian athletes scheduled to compete. The high jumper competing in Long Jump has been one of India’s prominent para-athletics performers, and attention will be on his event as the competition begins.

The programme also includes men’s long jump and other track-and-field events, including sprint and middle-distance races. Indian athletes such as Ram Pal, Praveen Kumar, Nishad Kumar and other competitors appear in the schedule across different events and classifications.

The range of classifications in para-athletics means that athletes compete in categories designed to account for different impairments. Each event offers its own technical demands, whether it involves explosive power in the jumping disciplines or sustained speed and endurance on the track.

For India, the five athletics finals provide an opportunity to begin the medal campaign across a variety of disciplines rather than relying on a single event.

Swimming features prominently on the opening-day schedule, with six finals listed. Indian swimmers will compete across several events, including freestyle races, with medals decided on the basis of performances in the pool.

The programme includes Indian entries in the men’s 100m freestyle and other scheduled swimming events. The final races will test athletes’ speed, technique and race management, with small margins often separating the medal positions.

Swimming can be particularly demanding at a multi-sport event, as athletes may compete in different distances and classifications over the course of the competition. The opening-day finals will therefore be important not only for the medal tally but also for establishing the form of India’s swimmers.

With six finals scheduled, the pool represents one of the largest groups of gold-medal events on the opening day.

Judo and powerlifting offer further medal chances

India will also seek gold in judo and powerlifting, with two gold-medal opportunities in each discipline according to the day’s schedule.

Judo will feature weight-category competitions, where athletes must combine tactical awareness, balance and technique to overcome their opponents. The knockout format and progression through the rounds will determine who reaches the medal bouts.

Powerlifting will test strength and precision, with athletes competing to register their best lifts. The sport rewards consistency and technical execution, making each attempt important to the final result.

These events provide India with additional avenues to add to its medal count beyond the more prominent shooting, athletics and swimming competitions.

Not all of India’s opening-day action will be focused on medals. Archery ranking rounds will help determine seedings for subsequent stages, while para table tennis and para badminton athletes will begin their group-stage campaigns.

These preliminary contests are important because strong results can improve an athlete’s path through the draw and create favourable matchups in the knockout rounds. India’s athletes will need to balance the immediate demands of their opening matches with the longer tournament ahead. Progress in these events could create further medal opportunities in the coming days.

With 17 gold-medal opportunities highlighted in the opening-day schedule, India’s athletes face an important first test at the Asian Para Games 2026. The presence of established names such as Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal and Nishad Kumar adds interest to a programme that spans shooting, athletics, swimming, judo and powerlifting.

However, the number of golds available should not be confused with a prediction of India’s final medal count. Qualification rounds, group-stage matches and ranking events will also shape the day, and several competitions will continue beyond the opening session.

India’s immediate objective will be to convert its medal opportunities while securing strong starts in events that progress through multiple rounds. A productive opening day could provide momentum for the rest of the campaign, as the country’s para-athletes compete for continental honours across a wide range of sports.