Asian Para Games 2026: Anjanaben Bumbadiya wins gold, Jayanti Nehra silver in Women's 400m T47
Synopsis
India pulled off a remarkable one-two in the Women's 400m T47 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya — Anjanaben Bumbadiya winning gold in 59.97s, Jayanti Nehra silver in 1:00.65s — while Tejalben Damor added a third medal in the T12 event. Behind each performance lies a story of extraordinary resilience, from Anjanaben's congenital impairment to Jayanti's childhood burn injury.
Key Takeaways
Anjanaben Bumbadiya won gold in the Women's 400m T47 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya with a time of 59.97s on 22 October .
Jayanti Nehra won silver in the same event, finishing in 1:00.65s — less than a second behind her compatriot.
Anjanaben came within 1.58 seconds of the Asian Para Games record of 58.39s set by China's Li Lu in 2018.
Tejalben Damor added a silver in the Women's 400m T12 event with a time of 57.60 seconds .
Jayanti is a former World Youth Champion (2017) and double Asian Para Games medallist from the 2018 edition in Jakarta.
Anjanaben Bumbadiya and Jayanti Nehra delivered a stunning one-two finish for India in the Women's 400m T47 event at the Asian Para Games on 22 October, claiming gold and silver respectively at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan. The double podium was part of a broader surge of Indian medals in para athletics at this edition of the Games.
Race Result and Margins
Anjanaben crossed the finish line in 59.97 seconds (848 Raza points), claiming the gold medal in a tightly contested race. Jayanti finished less than a second behind at 1:00.65s (815 Raza points) to earn silver. Thailand's Sasirawan Inthachot took bronze with a time of 1:02.58s (714 Raza points), while Nepal's Prabha Angdembe finished fourth with a time of 1:15.81s (89 Raza points).
Notably, Anjanaben came close to the Asian Para Games record of 58.39s, set by Chinese athlete Li Lu at the Jakarta Asian Games 2018, falling just 1.58 seconds short of rewriting the record books.
India's Third Medal: Tejalben Damor in T12
In a separate Women's 400m race, India's Tejalben Damor claimed silver in the Women's 400m T12 event with a time of 57.60 seconds, further underlining India's dominance on the para athletics track at Nagoya. Iran's Hajar Safarzadeh won gold in 56.43 seconds, while China's Shen Yaqin (guided by He Yuchong) took bronze in 58.04 seconds.
Anjanaben Bumbadiya: Gujarat's Rising Star
Born in 2001 in Gujarat, Anjanaben competes with a congenital upper-limb impairment — one arm shorter than normal since birth. She is classified under T47 and has rapidly established herself as one of India's fastest female para-sprinters. She is the reigning Khelo India Para Games champion of 2025 and clocked a personal best of 1:00.04s at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. Thursday's gold is a significant personal milestone — her best competitive time to date in an Asian Para Games setting.
Jayanti Nehra: From Odisha's Chulha to the Asian Podium
Born in 1999 in Odisha, Jayanti's sporting journey began with adversity. At just one year old, she suffered severe second-degree burns after accidentally falling into an earthen stove (chulha), which permanently contracted her left elbow and hand. Her talent was identified by school coach Bishnu Prasad Mishra, who enrolled and trained her free of cost at his Gurukul Athletic Training Centre in Sakhigopal.
Jayanti is no stranger to the Asian Para Games podium — she won silver in the Women's 400m T47 (59.71s) and bronze in the Women's 200m T47 (27.45s) at the 2018 Asian Para Games. Even earlier, she was crowned World Youth Champion in the 400m at the World Junior Para Athletics Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, in 2017. Thursday's silver adds another chapter to a career built against remarkable odds.
With India stacking up medals across para athletics disciplines in Nagoya, the country's growing depth in the T47 category signals a competitive future heading into the next Paralympic cycle.
Point of View
From Khelo India Para Games to the World Para Athletics circuit. Yet the real story is the coaching infrastructure gap: Jayanti Nehra was trained free of cost by a school coach in Odisha, not a national academy. If India is serious about sustaining this depth, the system needs to find the next Anjanaben before she finds it herself.
NationPress
22 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won gold in Women's 400m T47 at the 2026 Asian Para Games?
India's Anjanaben Bumbadiya won gold in the Women's 400m T47 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, finishing in 59.97 seconds. Her compatriot Jayanti Nehra won silver in 1:00.65 seconds.
What is the T47 classification in para athletics?
T47 is a para athletics classification for athletes with an impairment affecting one arm, such as an amputation or permanent contracture. Both Anjanaben and Jayanti compete in this category.
How close was Anjanaben to breaking the Asian Para Games record?
Anjanaben finished in 59.97 seconds, just 1.58 seconds shy of the Asian Para Games record of 58.39 seconds, which was set by China's Li Lu at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
What is Jayanti Nehra's background?
Jayanti Nehra is a 1999-born athlete from Odisha who suffered severe second-degree burns as a one-year-old after falling into an earthen stove, permanently contracting her left elbow and hand. She was trained free of cost by coach Bishnu Prasad Mishra and is a former World Youth Champion (2017) and double medallist at the 2018 Asian Para Games.
Did India win any other medals in para athletics at the 2026 Asian Para Games?
Yes, Tejalben Damor won silver in the Women's 400m T12 event with a time of 57.60 seconds. Iran's Hajar Safarzadeh won gold and China's Shen Yaqin took bronze in that race.
