Two para-athletes from India wrote their names into Asian Para Games history on Friday, 23 October 2026 — one by defending a title, the other by stepping onto the podium for the first time. BJP MP Anurag Thakur, former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, took to X to celebrate both moments, congratulating Pranav Soorma on successfully defending his gold in the Men's Club Throw F51 and Dharambir on claiming the bronze in the same event at the Asian Para Games 2026.

Soorma's title defence — gold twice over

Pranav Soorma is no stranger to the podium. The Indian para-athlete has built a consistent international record across Paralympic and Asian-level competition in the club throw F51 category — an event contested by athletes with significant upper-limb or spinal impairment who compete from a throwing frame. Defending a continental title is among the hardest feats in para-sport; the field narrows, rivals study your technique, and the pressure inverts entirely. Soorma did it anyway.

Thakur's post captured the emotion simply: 'Heartiest congratulations to Pranav Soorma on successfully defending his title to win the Gold Medal.' That single word — defending — tells the whole story. This was not a first win; it was a confirmation of excellence.

Dharambir adds bronze in the same arena

Dharambir, another Indian competitor in the F51 discipline, secured the bronze medal, giving India a one-two-three sweep of sorts across the event's podium. Having two Indians finish in the top three of the same para-athletics event at a continental Games underlines the depth India has built in the club throw discipline — a discipline that has historically yielded some of the country's most reliable para-sport medals.

TOPS and the machinery behind the medals

These results do not emerge from thin air. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), expanded since 2018 to cover Asian Para Games and Paralympic disciplines, has funnelled training grants, coaching support, and equipment funding to para-athletes like Soorma and Dharambir. The broader pattern is unmistakable: India's medal tallies at continental para-sport events have climbed steadily as government support has scaled up. Thakur himself, during his tenure as Sports Minister, was closely associated with this expansion of para-athlete welfare infrastructure.

His congratulatory post closing with 'Jai Hind! #Cheer4Bharat' reflects the political and emotional currency these wins carry — proof, the government often argues, that investment in para-sport is producing a return the whole country can take pride in.

The eyes of Indian sports administrators will now turn to the overall medal tally as the 2026 Asian Para Games conclude, and to whether the Sports Ministry follows these wins with fresh support announcements for the athletes heading into the next Paralympic cycle.