Asian Para Games: Nitesh, Thulasimathi take mixed doubles silver as India placed fourth in medal table

Indian athletes continue to win medals at the Asian Para Games 2026. The pair of Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan won silver in the badminton mixed doubles SL3-SU5 category.

The final was played on Friday, October 23. Indonesia's Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani beat the Indian pair 11-21, 21-19, 21-14.

Nitesh and Thulasimathi made a brilliant start in the final and won the first game 21-11. But the Indonesian pair made a strong comeback in the second game and took it 21-19. The Indonesians kept the lead in the third and deciding game as well and won 21-14. The Indian pair had to settle for silver.

This is Thulasimathi Murugesan's second silver at the event. She also won silver in the women's singles SU5 category, where China's Yang beat her 18-21, 11-21 in the final.

Nitesh Kumar, meanwhile, won gold in the men's singles final by beating fellow Indian Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16. Bhagat had earlier won gold at the 2018 and 2022 editions. In the contest between the two Paralympic champions, Nitesh played a strong game and won.

Nithya Sri Sumathi Sivan won another silver for India, in the women's singles SH6 category. In the final, China's Li Fengmei beat her 21-12, 21-13.

After these results, India has moved to fourth place in the medal table. India has so far won a total of 104 medals at the Asian Para Games 2026, including 27 gold, 34 silver and 43 bronze.

At the previous Asian Para Games, held in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, India had a historic performance. Indian athletes then won a total of 111 medals, with 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze.