Indian Open Para Athletics 2026: Nishad Kumar, Rakshitha Raju shine on opening day
Bengaluru, May 26
The opening day of the 8th Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships 2026 produced several outstanding performances as para athletes from across India and overseas delivered thrilling contests across track and field events in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
One of the standout performances came in the Men's 100m T12 category, where Maharashtra's Chaitanya Pathak clinched the gold medal after clocking 11.39 seconds in a closely contested race. Haryana's Vishu Vishu finished just behind with a timing of 11.42 seconds to take silver, while Andhra Pradesh's Gowtham Karanam secured bronze in 11.75 seconds.
In the Men's 100m T47 event, Kerala sprinter Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath impressed with a winning time of 10.63 seconds. Maharashtra's Dilip Gavit pushed him till the finish line and settled for silver after clocking 10.64 seconds, while Karnataka's Babu Janu Pandaramise claimed bronze in 11.19 seconds.
Punjab's Vivek Sharma emerged victorious in the Men's 100m T63 category with a timing of 12.92 seconds. Haryana's Arpit secured silver in 13.00 seconds, while Uttar Pradesh's Sandeep Kumar took bronze with 13.40 seconds.
Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar starred in the Men's Long Jump T47 event with a superb leap of 7.34m to claim gold for Himachal Pradesh. Rajasthan's Arjun Singh finished second with a jump of 6.81m, while Sri Lanka's Safran Mohammadu earned bronze after clearing 6.72m.
The Men's Discus Throw F64 competition witnessed one of the closest contests of the day. Pardeep Kumar of S.S.C.B. won gold with a best throw of 50.47m, narrowly edging Haryana's Devender Kumar, who finished with 50.44m for silver. S.S.C.B.'s Rakesh secured bronze with a throw of 49.67m.
In the Women's Shot Put F57 category, Haryana's Sharmila delivered a strong performance to win gold with a throw of 9.86m. Karnataka's Kanchugarakoppa Shyla Shilpa bagged silver with 6.67m, while Haryana's Poonam Sharma claimed bronze with 6.46m.
Karnataka athlete Rakshitha Raju dominated the Women's 1500m T11 race, winning gold with a time of 5:17.54. Rajasthan's Shalini Chaudhary secured silver in 6:07.55, while Kyrgyzstan's Gulnaz Zhuzbaeva took bronze after finishing in 6:19.58.
The championships will continue until May 28, with leading para athletes from India and several other countries competing across multiple disciplines.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Wonderful to see athletes from different states shining – Maharashtra, Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab... truly a national effort. And the Sri Lankan athlete getting bronze in long jump shows the international flavor too. Need more coverage of para sports in mainstream media! 💪
Rakshitha Raju's dominance in 1500m T11 is incredible – winning by almost 50 seconds! That's not just talent, it's sheer grit. And Chaitanya Pathak's 11.39 in T12 is extremely fast. But I wish the government and corporates would sponsor more training facilities for these athletes in smaller towns. So much potential going untapped. 🤔
Pardeep Kumar vs Devender Kumar – just 0.03 meters difference in discus throw! That's like less than the width of a finger. Unbelievable competition. And the fact that someone from S.S.C.B. (Services Sports Control Board) is doing well shows our armed forces contribute a lot to sports too. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
Impressive times from the Indian para athletes – Basil's 10.63 in T47 is close to Olympic-level sprinting. And the fact that these championships are open to international athletes makes it more competitive. But I'd love to see more women's events covered in detail. Sharmila's shot put gold (9.86m) deserves more mention.
What's really heartening is that these athletes are breaking stereotypes every day. Vishu Vishu from Haryana, Mohammed Basil from Kerala – they represent the new India where talent
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