CM Nayab Saini hails India's 4-medal haul at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini congratulated four Indian para athletes — Simran Sharma, Dilip Gavit, Mohammed Morssinganakath and Pranav Desai — for winning two golds, a silver and a bronze at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan.
Key Takeaways
Simran Sharma won gold in the women's 100 metres T12 at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan.
Dilip Gavit claimed gold in the men's 100 metres T47 , with Mohammed Morssinganakath taking silver in the same event — India swept the top two places.
Pranav Desai earned a bronze medal in the men's 100 metres T64 .
India collected two golds, one silver and one bronze across the three sprint categories.
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini congratulated all four athletes individually on 21 October 2026 .
Four Indian para athletes stepped onto the podium in Japan, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini made sure the nation took notice — congratulating each medallist by name on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, and saluting the speed with which they are raising the tricolour's prestige.
Posting on X, Saini wrote: 'Aapki jeet ki raftaar se tirangle ka maan aur desh ka gaurav nirantar badh raha hai' ('With the pace of your victories, the honour of the tricolour and the pride of the nation keeps growing'). The message singled out four athletes who delivered across three sprint categories at the Asian Para Games 2026, held in Japan under the Asian Paralympic Committee.
Gold for Simran Sharma and Dilip Gavit in sprints
Simran Sharma claimed gold in the women's 100 metres T12 — the category for visually impaired athletes who compete with a guide runner. Her finish put India at the top of a fiercely competitive field. On the men's side, Dilip Gavit powered to gold in the men's 100 metres T47, the category for athletes with an upper-limb impairment, adding a second sprint crown to India's tally in a single session.
Silver for Mohammed Morssinganakath, bronze for Pranav Desai
Mohammed Morssinganakath backed up Gavit's gold with a silver medal in the same men's 100 metres T47 event — meaning India swept the top two spots in that race. Pranav Desai then rounded off the session with a bronze in the men's 100 metres T64, the category for single below-knee amputees who compete on a running prosthetic.
Para sports visibility and the pattern of state recognition
India's para athletics programme has grown steadily in profile since the country's strong showings at successive Asian Para Games and Paralympic cycles. State chief ministers publicly naming individual para athletes — rather than issuing a blanket congratulatory note — reflects a shift in how governments engage with the para sports ecosystem, one aimed at building both visibility and grassroots aspiration. For Haryana, a state with a deep sporting culture and a history of producing track-and-field talent, such acknowledgements carry particular weight.
Four medals, two golds, one silver, one bronze — and a sprint session that India will want to replay. The athletes have set the pace; watch whether central and state recognitions now follow them home.
Point of View
Athlete-by-athlete congratulation is a deliberate move beyond boilerplate — naming each competitor by event and category signals an effort to embed para sports stars into the mainstream public consciousness, not just administrative records. India's sprint double in the T47 category, where the country placed first and second, points to a deepening talent pipeline rather than isolated podium finishes. For the BJP, associating state leadership with para-athletic achievement ahead of state and national political cycles is also smart optics — sports diplomacy at a domestic level. The broader test is whether these congratulations translate into structural support: better training infrastructure, stipends, and international competitive exposure for para athletes.
NationPress
21 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won gold for India at the Asian Para Games 2026 in the 100 metres?
Simran Sharma won gold in the women's 100 metres T12 and Dilip Gavit won gold in the men's 100 metres T47 at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan.
What is the T12 category in para athletics?
The T12 category is for visually impaired athletes who have some residual vision; they typically compete with a guide runner in sprint events.
What medal did Mohammed Morssinganakath win at Asian Para Games 2026?
Mohammed Morssinganakath won a silver medal in the men's 100 metres T47 event at the Asian Para Games 2026, finishing just behind his Indian teammate Dilip Gavit who took gold.
What is the T64 classification in para sprinting?
T64 is the classification for below-knee single amputees who use a running prosthetic; Pranav Desai won bronze in this category at the Asian Para Games 2026.
Why did Nayab Singh Saini congratulate Indian para athletes?
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini posted congratulations on X on 21 October 2026 to celebrate India's four-medal haul — two golds, a silver and a bronze — in sprint events at the Asian Para Games 2026 held in Japan.
