Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar beat Indonesia for mixed team archery gold
Representative image: kisistvan77 / Pixabay
Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar beat Indonesia 151-148 for compound mixed team gold at the Asian Para Games on October 22, 2026, after a world-record 1,402 in qualifying.
What Happened
Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar won India the compound mixed team archery gold at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, beating Indonesia's Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151-148 in the final. It was India's first archery gold of these Games. Earlier in the event, the Indian pair had scored 1,402 points in the ranking round, a new world record for the mixed team qualification, beating the previous mark of 1,400, which was also held by India. Other Indian winners on the day included Dilip Gavit in the men's 400m T47 and Solairaj Dharmaraj in the long jump, according to the news agency ANI.
Key Facts
- Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar beat Indonesia 151-148 in the compound mixed team final on October 22, 2026.
- It was India's first archery gold at the 2026 Asian Para Games.
- The pair's 1,402 points in qualification set a world record, beating India's own earlier mark of 1,400.
- Sheetal had already won silver in the women's compound doubles with Payal Nag at these Games.
- Swati Chaudhary won silver in the women's individual W1 event, India's first medal in that category, according to reports.
- Dilip Gavit won the men's 400m T47 and Solairaj Dharmaraj won the men's long jump with a Games record of 7.15 m, ANI reported.
- India ended the day with 88 medals: 21 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze, according to ANI. The Games run until October 24.
Why It Matters
Sheetal Devi has become one of the best-known faces of Indian para sport, and this gold adds to a record that has made her an inspiration for young athletes with disabilities across the country. In compound archery, athletes shoot at a target with a mechanical bow, and in the mixed team event a man and a woman each shoot arrows that are added together. The final margin of three points over Indonesia shows how close top-level contests are: a single arrow off the centre can decide the result.
The world record in qualification is just as important. The ranking round decides seeding for the knockout matches, and shooting a record score shows that the pair were consistent across many arrows, not only in a single match. That India already held the previous record of 1,400, and has now raised it to 1,402, shows the depth of Indian para archery.
The wider medal count tells a similar story. With 88 medals by the end of Thursday, according to ANI, India's para athletes are piling up results across archery, athletics, shooting and other sports. For young people with disabilities, these results matter beyond the scoreboard: they show that sport can be a real career path, backed by training camps, coaching and international competition.
The athletics results add to that picture. Dilip Gavit's 400m win in the T47 class and Solairaj Dharmaraj's long jump record show that India's strength is not limited to one sport. Swati Chaudhary's silver in the W1 category, India's first medal in that class, opened a new event for the country.
| Athlete | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar | Compound mixed team archery | Gold, beat Indonesia 151-148 |
| Dilip Gavit | Men's 400m T47 | Gold (ANI) |
| Solairaj Dharmaraj | Men's long jump | Gold, Games record 7.15 m (ANI) |
| Swati Chaudhary | Women's individual W1 archery | Silver |
Impact
Short-term: India go into the last two days of the Games, which end on October 24, with a strong medal count and momentum across several sports.
Long-term: Results like these help make the case for continued investment in para sport, from grassroots talent searches to coaching and equipment, as athletes prepare for future world championships and the Paralympics.
Who is affected: Indian para athletes and coaches; young people with disabilities considering sport; sports federations and the government bodies that fund them; and fans following the Games.
Key Takeaway
Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar won India's first archery gold of the 2026 Asian Para Games on October 22, after setting a world record in qualification, as India's medal count rose to 88, according to ANI.
Questions and Answers
What did Sheetal Devi win at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar won gold in the compound mixed team archery event on October 22, 2026, beating Indonesia 151-148. Sheetal had earlier won silver in women's compound doubles with Payal Nag.
What world record did Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar set?
They scored 1,402 points in the mixed team qualification round, a new world record that beat the previous mark of 1,400, also held by India.
How many medals has India won at the 2026 Asian Para Games?
India had 88 medals at the end of October 22, 2026, including 21 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze, according to ANI. The Games end on October 24.
Who else won gold for India on October 22?
Dilip Gavit won the men's 400m T47 and Solairaj Dharmaraj won the men's long jump with a Games record of 7.15 m, ANI reported.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
