Anurag Thakur Hails Haney's Gold & World Record at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Indian para-athlete Haney won gold in Men's Javelin Throw F37/38 at the Asian Para Games 2026 while setting a world record. BJP MP Anurag Thakur, former Union Sports Minister, celebrated the feat on social media under the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat.
Key Takeaways
Haney won the Gold Medal in Men's Javelin Throw F37/38 at the Asian Para Games 2026 .
The throw was accompanied by a world record , making it a landmark moment for Indian para-athletics.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur , former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, publicly congratulated Haney on 23 October 2026 .
The F37/38 classification covers athletes with coordination impairments — a technically demanding para-athletics category.
India's para-sport infrastructure has grown since the launch of the Khelo India scheme in 2017 , which included dedicated pathways for para-athletes.
A gold medal and a world record in the same throw — BJP MP Anurag Thakur erupted in congratulations on Friday, 23 October 2026, as Indian para-athlete Haney delivered a historic performance in the Men's Javelin Throw F37/38 event at the Asian Para Games 2026.
Haney's javelin lands in record territory
The F37/38 classification covers athletes with coordination impairments — a discipline demanding not just raw power but extraordinary technical precision. Haney's throw was not merely good enough to top the podium; it reportedly broke a world record in the process, placing India among the elite in para-athletics globally.
Thakur's voice behind Indian para-sport
Anurag Thakur, who served as Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports before returning to the Lok Sabha bench as MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, has consistently amplified India's para-sport stories. Using the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat, he framed the achievement as a national moment — a pattern he and several ruling-party colleagues have maintained through successive Paralympic and Para Games cycles to build mainstream visibility for para-athletes.
Government push that backs these champions
India's expanding support for para-athletes is rooted in the Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017, which extended structured funding and competitive pathways to athletes across disability classifications. The Asian Para Games — held under the Asian Paralympic Committee — provides the continent's highest-profile platform for these disciplines, and a world record on that stage carries outsized meaning for the sport's recognition at home.
For India's para-sports ecosystem, a world record gold is precisely the headline that sustains momentum — and Haney has just written one.
Point of View
Particularly as the Khelo India framework approaches its next funding review cycle. Mainstream visibility for para-athletes remains unevenly distributed in India, and high-profile endorsements from former sports ministers meaningfully shift public attention. The key question now is whether this recognition translates into sustained institutional support for F37/38 and allied para-athletics disciplines beyond the celebratory cycle.
NationPress
23 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Haney and what event did he win at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Haney is an Indian para-athlete who won the Gold Medal in the Men's Javelin Throw F37/38 event at the Asian Para Games 2026, also setting a world record in the process.
What does the F37/38 classification mean in para-athletics?
The F37/38 classification in para-athletics refers to athletes with coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia, or athetosis who compete in field events. It is a technically demanding category requiring precision alongside physical strength.
Why did Anurag Thakur congratulate Haney?
Anurag Thakur, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur and former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, congratulated Haney because of his role in championing Indian sports and para-sports on the national stage.
What is the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games is a major multi-sport event organised by the Asian Paralympic Committee for athletes with disabilities from across Asia. It is one of the most prestigious platforms for para-sport in the continent.
How does the Khelo India scheme support para-athletes?
The Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017, extended grassroots sports funding and competitive infrastructure to para-athletes across India, providing structured training pathways and financial support to help them compete at elite levels.
