Para archer Harvinder Singh beats China to win Asian Para Games gold

India won another gold medal at the Asian Para Games 2026, courtesy of para archer Harvinder Singh. His story began in hardship but has ended in a victory that inspires millions.

When Harvinder was a year and a half old, he was given an injection during treatment for dengue. Unfortunately, the injection cost him the ability to move about on his own. Even so, the challenges did not break his self-belief. Today he is flying the tricolour high and has made the country proud.

This time Harvinder teamed up with Vijay Sundi. The two beat China 5-1 in the final of the men's recurve doubles to take gold. The first set was tied at 35-35. The Indian pair then won the next two sets 37-36 and 38-36. For Harvinder, who is 35, this is a second gold medal at the Asian Para Games.

Harvinder was born into a farming family in Haryana. He never let his physical challenges come between him and his dreams. The 2012 London Paralympics sparked his interest in archery. His journey began there, and today he is counted among the best para archers in the world.

His family's support has been a great strength on this journey. When training became difficult during the Covid-19 pandemic, his father built an archery practice range on their farm.

By winning bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics, Harvinder became the first Indian to win a medal in Paralympic archery. He then made history by winning gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2025 for his contribution to sport. He is also pursuing a PhD in economics at Punjabi University.

Indian athletes put up a strong showing in archery overall. In the men's recurve team para archery event, Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi came back strongly after the first set was tied. Winning the next two sets, they beat China 5-1 and gave India another gold of the day. However, in the women's recurve doubles final, Pooja Jatyan and Bhavna Chaudhary lost to China and had to settle for silver.

India's good form continued in athletics too. Pramod won silver in the men's 1500 metres (T46) with an excellent run. He had achieved the same result at the previous Hangzhou Games. After winning 26 medals in the first four days, the new medals on the fifth day have taken India's total past 90. The Indian team is now preparing to cross the 100-medal mark and break last year's record.