Prachi Pandey wins bronze at Asian Para Games 2026, India's first in Women's Singles Class 6
Synopsis
A former full-stack software developer from Uttar Pradesh, Prachi Pandey walked away from a tech career in 2023 and has now won India's first-ever medal in Women's Singles Class 6 at the Asian Para Games — on debut. The 33-year-old World No. 17's bronze in Aichi-Nagoya is as much a story about institutional support as it is about individual grit.
Key Takeaways
Prachi Pandey won a bronze medal in Women's Singles Class 6 at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan — India's first-ever medal in the event.
The 33-year-old World No.
17 made her debut at the continental Games and reached the semifinals before finishing on the podium.
Prachi gave up a career as a full-stack software developer in 2023 to pursue para table tennis full-time.
She has accumulated 12 ITTF ranking tournament medals since her first international medal at the 2023 Brazilian Para Open .
Her training at SAI NCoE Gandhinagar was supported by approximately ₹26.86 lakh in financial assistance under the ACTC during the Asian Para Games 2026 cycle.
Prachi is a two-time National Para Table Tennis champion (2022, 2023) and two-time Khelo India Para Games gold medallist (2023, 2025).
Para table tennis player Prachi Pandey scripted history at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, clinching a bronze medal in Women's Singles Class 6 on her debut appearance at the continental Games. The 33-year-old World No. 17, who traded a software engineering career for a sporting one, secured India's first-ever medal in the event — a landmark moment for Indian para table tennis.
From Code to the Podium
Prachi's path to international glory is anything but conventional. An M.Tech graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, she worked as a full-stack software developer between 2020 and 2023 before making a decisive pivot to pursue para table tennis full-time. Despite living with a progressive neurological condition, she has methodically built herself into one of India's foremost para paddlers — a transformation that now includes a continental podium finish.
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Prachi is currently based at the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence (SAI NCoE), Gandhinagar, which she joined in June 2023. Her journey reflects the kind of career reinvention that rarely finds institutional backing — and yet, in her case, it did.
The Road to the Semifinals
At the Asian Para Games 2026, Prachi advanced to the semifinals, where she came up against Iraq's Najlah Al-Dayyeni, the World No. 5 and reigning Paralympic and Asian Para Games champion. While the semifinal ended her run for gold, the bronze medal confirmed her standing in an elite international field and underscored years of sustained preparation.
This is a significant milestone: no Indian athlete had previously won a medal in the Women's Singles Class 6 discipline at the Asian Para Games, making Prachi's debut podium all the more remarkable.
A Decorated Domestic and International Record
Prachi's medal cabinet reflects consistent excellence. Domestically, she claimed gold at the National Para Table Tennis Championships in both 2022 and 2023, and won the inaugural Khelo India Para Games in 2023, repeating the feat at the 2025 edition.
On the international circuit, she has accumulated 12 medals in ITTF ranking tournaments since her first International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) medal at the 2023 Brazilian Para Open — comprising four silver and eight bronze medals. Recent highlights include a silver at the 2026 ITTF World Para Future Gold Coast and bronze medals at the 2026 ITTF World Para Future Nakhon Ratchasima, the 2025 ITTF World Para Challenger Kaohsiung, and the 2025 ITTF World Para Future Costa Brava.
The Role of SAI NCoE and Khelo India
SAI NCoE Gandhinagar, designated as the nodal centre for para sports, has been a critical enabler of Prachi's rise. She follows an intensive schedule of three training sessions daily, backed by a multidisciplinary team covering strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, mental conditioning, rehabilitation, and recovery.
The Centre has facilitated three international exposure opportunities to sharpen her competitive readiness. Financial assistance of approximately ₹26.86 lakh was extended under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) during the Asian Para Games 2026 cycle, in addition to residential facilities and full-time support at the Centre.
Reflecting on her achievement, Prachi said: 'Winning a medal for India at my first Asian Para Games is a dream come true and an incredibly proud moment for me. My journey from working as a software engineer to standing on the Asian Para Games podium has been full of challenges, sacrifices and determination. I am deeply grateful to the Sports Authority of India, the Khelo India programme, and SAI NCoE Gandhinagar for the continuous support, quality training facilities, and international exposure that have helped me reach this stage.'
What This Means for Indian Para Sports
Prachi's bronze adds a proud chapter to India's para sports story at a time when institutional investment in athlete development is increasingly bearing fruit. Her achievement demonstrates that structured high-performance infrastructure — when aligned with individual determination — can bridge the gap between promising domestic talent and international glory.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics on the horizon, Prachi Pandey's debut continental medal signals that Indian para table tennis has a genuine contender to watch on the world stage.
Point of View
With its multidisciplinary support and international exposure pipeline, is delivering measurable results where it matters most: the continental podium. What is easy to miss in the celebration, however, is that Prachi made a high-stakes personal bet in 2023 by leaving a stable tech career; the system did not find her young — she found the system at 30. The broader question for Indian para sports is whether the Khelo India-SAI pipeline can identify and support athletes earlier in their development curve, rather than catching those already self-motivated enough to walk through the door.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Prachi Pandey and what did she achieve at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Prachi Pandey is a 33-year-old Indian para table tennis player and World No. 17, who won a bronze medal in Women's Singles Class 6 at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. It was her debut at the continental Games and India's first-ever medal in that specific event.
Why is Prachi Pandey's journey considered remarkable?
Prachi holds an M.Tech degree from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and worked as a full-stack software developer between 2020 and 2023 before leaving her tech career to pursue para table tennis full-time. Despite a progressive neurological condition, she rose to World No. 17 and claimed a historic continental medal within three years of turning professional.
What support did Prachi Pandey receive from SAI and Khelo India?
Prachi has been training at SAI NCoE Gandhinagar since June 2023, following three daily training sessions with a multidisciplinary support team. She received approximately ₹26.86 lakh in financial assistance under the ACTC during the Asian Para Games 2026 cycle, along with residential facilities and three international exposure opportunities.
What is Prachi Pandey's international medal record?
Since her first ITTF medal at the 2023 Brazilian Para Open, Prachi has won 12 medals in ITTF ranking tournaments — four silver and eight bronze. Recent highlights include a silver at the 2026 ITTF World Para Future Gold Coast and bronze medals at events in Thailand, Taiwan, and Spain.
Who did Prachi Pandey face in the semifinals at the Asian Para Games 2026?
In the semifinals, Prachi faced Iraq's Najlah Al-Dayyeni, the World No. 5 and reigning Paralympic and Asian Para Games champion, before finishing with the bronze medal.
