Praveen Kumar cleared 2.05 metres to win the men’s high jump in the combined T44/T64 class at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, setting a Games record, according to The Tribune. Banti took silver with a personal best of 1.92 metres and Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov bronze with 1.86. A day earlier, The Bridge reported, Nishad Kumar won the T47 high jump with a Games record of 2.04 metres, Simran Sharma won the women’s 200 metres T12 in a Games record 24.08 seconds, and Pranav Soorma won the men’s discus F51-53 with 11.66 metres, a new Asian record. Devender Kumar also took discus gold with 49.71 metres.
The case that India’s para athletes are performing at an exceptional level is made by the marks. Praveen Kumar’s 2.05 metres was 13 centimetres above the silver medallist Banti and 19 centimetres above the bronze, a large margin in a jumping event, and Nishad Kumar’s 2.04 metres in the T47 class was his second gold of the Games, after a long jump win on Monday. Simran Sharma’s 24.08 seconds in the 200 metres is a Games record, and Pranav Soorma’s 11.66 metres is a record for the whole continent. Four of India’s golds on a single day came in athletics, with Raza points of 781 for Devender Kumar and 932 for Pranav Soorma in the combined events, which are scored on a points system that allows different classes to compete in one event.
The case for caution is about what the records mean. Praveen Kumar’s jump came in a combined T44/T64 event, in which athletes with different impairments, including those using prosthetic lower limbs, compete together, so a Games record is relative to that event and not to a single class. In events such as the discus, results from different classes are compared using Raza points, and The Bridge published an explainer on the system, which shows that the scoring needs explaining even to regular followers. Silver medallist Banti’s 1.92 metres was a personal best, which means the winner was far ahead but the rest of the field was not near the record. Records at a regional Games can also be set because fields are small, and the Tribune report did not give the previous Games record that Praveen’s jump replaced.
The marks matter for Indian para athletics because the sport accounts for the largest share of the country’s medals, and records at this level show that the training and selection are working even with a smaller squad. For the athletes, a Games record and an Asian record give them credibility ahead of the world championships and the next Paralympics, and for the public, they bring attention to disciplines that get little coverage between major events. Mona Agarwal’s gold in shooting on the opening day and the wins of Ayush Verma and Sachin Khilari on Wednesday show the depth across sports.
Praveen Kumar’s jump headlines a day of records and golds in Nagoya. The next days will show whether the other jumpers and throwers match them.