Nagoya: Indian para-athlete Manjeet Vyas delivered the finest performance of his career to win silver in the men’s javelin throw F13 at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games on Wednesday, registering a personal best of 61.03 metres to extend India’s success in the field events.
Competing in the combined F12/13 event, Manjeet found his best effort in his second attempt. His throw proved decisive in securing a podium finish in the F13 category, capping a productive season for the Indian athlete with another major medal on the continental stage.
The silver adds to an impressive run of results for Manjeet in 2026. He had previously won gold in the men’s F13 javelin throw at both the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Delhi and the Indian Open Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru. He also topped the podium at the Asian Para Games qualifiers with a throw of 59.08m, setting the stage for his campaign at the continental competition.
Earlier, India’s medal count in javelin received a boost through Pradeep Kumar and Ayush Verma, who finished second and third, respectively, in the men’s javelin throw F53 category.
Pradeep, competing in the F54 classification, saved his best for the final attempt, recording a personal best of 27.45m to secure silver. The result marked his second silver medal in the men’s javelin F54 event at the Asian Para Games. He had finished runner-up at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China, and also claimed gold at the 2026 National Para Athletics Championships.
Ayush, meanwhile, produced his personal-best throw of 17.88m in his fifth attempt to take bronze. His performance earned him sufficient Raza points to secure his place on the podium, with the points-based system allowing athletes from different classifications to be assessed on the basis of their performances rather than distance alone.
On Monday, Rinku Hooda and Ajeet Singh occupied the top two positions in the men’s javelin throw F46 event, opening India’s medal account in the discipline.
Rinku claimed gold with a throw of 65.11m, while Ajeet took silver after registering 65.02m. The difference between the two compatriots was just nine centimetres, making it a closely contested finish and giving India a one-two result in the event.
With Manjeet’s personal-best silver and the podium finishes by Pradeep and Ayush, India have continued to build their medal tally through a series of strong performances in para-athletics.
At the time of writing, India had accumulated 47 medals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, comprising 12 gold, 17 silver and 18 bronze. The country stood fifth in the overall standings, with the latest javelin results adding to its growing collection of medals at the continental event.
–IANS–
