Asian Para Games 2026: Manish Narwal wins silver, secures LA 2028 Paralympics quota for India

Indian shooter Manish Narwal won silver in the men's 10m Air Pistol SH1 event at the Asian Para Games 2026, securing a quota place for India at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. Meanwhile, debutant Praveen Sharma clinched bronze in the men's Shot Put F11 event, adding to India's medal tally.

Narwal, a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) athlete, scored 233.7 points in the P1 men's 10m Air Pistol SH1 final. The silver marked an improvement on his bronze-medal finish at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where he scored 217.3 points.

The Faridabad-based shooter improved his previous score by 16.4 points to move up one place on the podium. The result also strengthened his record as one of India's leading para-shooters.

Born with a congenital impairment in his right hand, Narwal initially aspired to play football. His father introduced him to shooting at a local range in 2016, where coach Rakesh Thakur identified his potential. Narwal subsequently began training left-handed, won national titles within a year and soon made his international debut.

Narwal won gold in the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, setting a Paralympic record with a score of 218.2. He followed it up with silver in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

He also won gold in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1 event at the 2022 World Shooting Para Sport World Championships. His achievements have been recognised with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 and the Arjuna Award in 2020.

Narwal's preparation for the Asian Para Games included a strong performance at the Al Ain World Cup in November 2025, where he scored 571 in the P1 event. The score surpassed the 565-point benchmark associated with his sixth-place finish at Hangzhou and met the performance criterion set by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

He trains at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi under coaches Rakesh Singh and Pavittar.

Praveen Sharma wins bronze on Asian Para Games debut

India's Praveen Sharma won bronze in the men's Shot Put F11 event with a throw of 13.86 metres, opening his medal account at the Asian Para Games on his debut.

The 19-year-old athlete from Bansarai village in Rajasthan's Dholpur district lost his eyesight at the age of two after a severe adverse reaction to medication reportedly caused Stevens–Johnson Syndrome. He took up para athletics in 2021 under coach Suresh Kumar and specialises in shot put and discus throw in the F11 category for visually impaired athletes. He trains in Jaipur.

Sharma's path to international competition was complicated by difficulties in obtaining medical records needed for his international classification. The lack of childhood medical documentation made it difficult to establish the cause of his visual impairment.

With assistance from the GoSports Foundation, his coach and support team searched across several cities to trace the doctor who had treated him as a child. They eventually located the doctor in Delhi and secured the documents required for his international classification.

Sharma subsequently established himself in para athletics. At the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games, he won gold in the men's Shot Put F11 event and silver in the men's Discus Throw U20 F11/F12/F13 event.

He also won silver in shot put and bronze in discus throw at the Khelo India Para Games 2025.

Earlier in 2026, Sharma won the men's Shot Put F11/F12/F20 event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi with a throw of 13.31 metres. He also finished second in the men's Discus Throw F11/F12 event with a distance of 32.96 metres.

His 13.86-metre effort at the Asian Para Games surpassed the distance he recorded to win gold at the New Delhi Grand Prix, marking a significant improvement as he made his debut at the continental event.