Three Indian para-athletes climbed the podium at the Asian Para Games 2026, and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary made sure the country paused to notice. On Thursday, October 22, the CM took to X to congratulate Tejalben Damor, Jayanti, and Varun Bhati — each of whom won silver for India in their respective disciplines.

Posting in Hindi, CM Choudhary wrote: 'एशियन पैरा गेम्स 2026 में महिला 400 मीटर T12 प्रतियोगिता में तेजलबेन डामोर जी... रजत पदक जीतकर देश का गौरव बढ़ाया है' — ('Tejalben Damor in the women's 400m T12, Jayanti in the women's 400m T47, and Varun Bhati in the men's high jump T63 have won silver medals and raised the nation's pride at the Asian Para Games 2026.')

Three Disciplines, Three Silvers

Tejalben Damor took silver in the women's 400m T12 — a category for athletes with significant visual impairment. Jayanti added another podium finish in the women's 400m T47, a class for athletes with a deficiency affecting one arm. Then came Varun Bhati in the men's high jump T63, a discipline for athletes with a single leg below the knee — a category where Bhati has a well-established record on the international circuit, including prior Paralympic medals.

Together, the three silvers across athletics and field events represent a spread of classifications, underlining the breadth of India's para-sport bench strength rather than depth in a single event.

Varun Bhati and India's Growing Para-Sport Footprint

Varun Bhati is arguably the most recognised name among the trio. A multiple Paralympic medallist, his consistency at continental events has made him a fixture in India's para-athletics programme. His silver at the 2026 Asian Para Games adds to a career that has tracked India's own rise in para-sport infrastructure since the mid-2010s.

That rise has a policy backbone. The 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act broadened the classification of disabilities, opening more avenues for state support and selection. Programmes like Khelo India have channelled resources into grassroots identification of para-athletes — a pipeline that is visibly producing results on the continental stage.

What Each Silver Means for India's Medal Tally

CM Choudhary's post noted pointedly that 'your success in different disciplines has further strengthened India's medal tally at #AsianParaGames2026.' Individual silvers across separate classification events are additive — each one counts independently toward the national total and nudges India higher in the multi-sport standings.

With medal events still to come across multiple sports at the 2026 Games, the performances of Damor, Jayanti, and Bhati set a benchmark and build momentum. The next waypoint for many of these athletes will be national selection discussions for the 2028 Paralympics — where a strong Asian Para Games result carries significant weight.

Three podiums. Three different stories of discipline and precision. India's para-athletes are writing them faster than the record books can keep up.