HANGZHOU, October 16 — The Indian para-archery contingent scripted a landmark triumph at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Friday, clinching the historic Gold medal in the Compound Open Mixed Team archery finals.
The dynamic Indian pairing of Sheetal Devi—the world's foremost armless archer shooting with exceptional foot-and-shoulder coordination—and veteran marksman Rakesh Kumar edged out host nation China's duo in an edge-of-the-seat 152–150 contest to secure top honors on the podium. In the individual rounds, Rakesh Kumar claimed individual Silver, while Sheetal Devi secured a hard-fought individual Bronze medal.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) praised the historic achievement, emphasizing that dedicated sports science intervention, customized biomechanical bow adjustments, and overseas competition tours funded under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) have solidified India's emergence as an elite Paralympic superpower.
The historical trajectory of the Paralympic movement (originating from the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games initiated by Sir Ludwig Guttmann), the mandate of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI, founded in 1992), national sports awards (Arjuna and Khel Ratna awardees), and rights of persons with disabilities (RPwD Act 2016) are central study themes across SSC, Railway, and State Public Service competitive examinations.