Suvarna Raj wins gold in F54 discus at Asian Para Games with 15.66m throw

India's Suvarna Raj won the gold medal in the women's discus throw F54 event at the Asian Para Games. Her best throw was 15.66 metres. The 44-year-old from Greater Noida cleared more than 15 metres in four of her six attempts. Her best throw came in the fifth attempt, and it earned her the gold. India has been seen to perform exceptionally well at the event.

It was India's 15th gold medal at the Games and India's first gold of the fourth day. In the same event, Iran's Shahla Hadidi took second place with a throw of 15.45 metres, while Vietnam's Thi Ngoc Thuy Nguyen won bronze with a throw of 14.65 metres.

Suvarna uses a wheelchair. She took up the sport in 2017 and has trained hard since then under the guidance of Pintu Nagar. She has so far represented India at three Asian Para Games and several international competitions. She is ranked second in Asia in the F54 discus throw.

Suvarna has won medals at major competitions before. At the 17th Fazza International Para Athletics Championship in 2026, she won bronze in the women's discus throw F54/55. In January this year, at the Canberra track meet in Australia, she won gold in the discus throw and silver in the shot put.

The F54 category is for athletes with impairments of the trunk and legs. These athletes throw the discus from a wheelchair. They generate power using upper-body strength and arm speed.

Suvarna also works away from the field. Besides athletics, she works as an accessibility specialist and disability rights advocate. She has carried out more than 1,000 accessibility audits across India to identify the barriers faced by persons with disabilities. She received the National Youth Award from the Ministry of Sports in 2015. She has also served as a brand ambassador for the Election Commission.

Under the government's Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) scheme, she has been given financial assistance of Rs 770,607 towards the cost of her training and competition.