Tejal Damor wins bronze at Asian Para Games 2026, sets personal best in 200m T12
Synopsis
On her continental debut, 24-year-old visually impaired sprinter Tejal Damor from Dahod, Gujarat, clocked a personal best of 25.25 seconds to win bronze in the women's 200m T12 at the Asian Para Games 2026 — and she is just getting started, with the 400m T12, her main event, still to come.
Key Takeaways
Tejal Damor , a visually impaired sprinter from Dahod, Gujarat , won bronze in the women's 200m T12 at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
She clocked a personal best of 25.25 seconds in the heats, improving on her previous best of 25.47 seconds set in Dubai in September.
The 24-year-old trains under coach Nitin Choudhary at SAI NCoE, Gandhinagar .
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has provided ₹2,05,961 in financial support under the ACTC .
Damor regards the women's 400m T12 as her primary event at the Games and enters it buoyed by the bronze medal.
She began her para-athletics career in 2022 and has previously won gold at the National Championships 2026 and the Dubai Para Athletics Grand Prix 2026 .
Visually impaired sprinter Tejal Damor from Gujarat claimed a bronze medal in the women's 200m T12 event at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on 20 October 2026, setting a personal best on her debut appearance at the continental competition. The 24-year-old athlete from Dahod district clocked 25.25 seconds in the heats — an improvement on her previous best — to qualify for the final and go on to secure the podium finish.
A Personal Best That Earned the Podium
Damor's heat timing of 25.25 seconds surpassed the 25.47 seconds she had recorded while winning gold at the Dubai Para Athletics Grand Prix in September 2026. She finished second in her heat to advance to the final, where she earned her first senior continental medal. The performance marks a tangible step up from her sixth-place finish at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2025.
The Coach Behind the Medal
Damor was emphatic in crediting her coach, Nitin Choudhary, for the result. “First of all, I want to thank my coach. There has been tremendous hard work and discipline behind this medal. Even when Sunday was supposed to be a rest day, my coach never allowed our training to suffer. If we had a training session scheduled, he would be there. I want to thank him before anyone else,” she said.
Both Damor and Choudhary are based at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (SAI NCoE) in Gandhinagar, where she has access to professional coaching, sports infrastructure, and training facilities. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has also provided financial assistance of ₹2,05,961 towards her preparations under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC).
A Journey Marked by Determination
Damor began her para-athletics career in 2022 and has built a steady record since. She won gold at the National Para Athletics Championships in 2026 and followed that with another gold in Dubai before this Asian Para Games debut. Reflecting on the road to Aichi-Nagoya, she said: “We came here with great expectations, immense hard work and a strong determination to win. My journey has involved a lot of struggle, but I was determined that whatever the difficulties, I had to return with a medal.”
Eyes on the 400m T12 — Her Main Event
The bronze in the 200m was, by Damor’s own account, a strategic stepping stone. Her primary target at these Games is the women's 400m T12 event, and she and her coach had deliberately used the shorter sprint to build rhythm and confidence. “My main event is the 400 metres, which is coming up next. My coach and I believed that winning a medal in the 200 metres would give us greater confidence for the 400 metres. Now, with this medal, I feel even more confident about giving my best in my main event,” she said.
A Dream Beyond Competition
Away from her own competitive goals, Damor has expressed a desire to establish a dedicated running track for visually impaired children in her home district of Dahod. She hopes the facility would create structured opportunities for children with visual impairments to pursue athletics. With the 400m T12 event still to come, Damor’s Games are far from over.
Point of View
A dedicated coach, and ACTC funding — can produce for para-athletes from smaller districts largely invisible to mainstream sports patronage. Dahod is no traditional athletics hub, and Damor's trajectory from a 2022 debut to an Asian Para Games podium in four years is unusually steep. The more consequential test, however, is the 400m T12: a medal there would firmly establish her in the upper tier of Asian para-sprinters and sharpen the case for sustained investment in visually impaired athletics, a category that still struggles for airtime even on para-sport platforms.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What medal did Tejal Damor win at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Damor won a bronze medal in the women's 200m T12 event at the Asian Para Games 2026 held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 20 October 2026. It was her debut at the continental competition and she recorded a personal best of 25.25 seconds.
What is Tejal Damor's personal best in the 200m?
Her personal best in the women's 200m T12 is 25.25 seconds, set during the heats at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan. This bettered her previous best of 25.47 seconds, recorded when she won gold at the Dubai Para Athletics Grand Prix in September 2026.
What is Tejal Damor's next event at the Asian Para Games?
Damor's primary event at the Asian Para Games 2026 is the women's 400m T12. She and her coach deliberately used the 200m as a confidence-building exercise ahead of the longer sprint, which she considers her main competition.
What government support has Tejal Damor received?
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has provided Damor with financial assistance of ₹2,05,961 under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) scheme. She also benefits from coaching, infrastructure, and facilities at the SAI National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar.
