Nishad Kumar and Rakshitha Raju shine on opening day of Indian Open Para Athletics 2026
The 8th Indian Open Para Athletics Championships 2026 began in Bengaluru with stellar performances. Nishad Kumar won long jump gold, Rakshitha Raju dominated the 1500m T11, and Chaitanya Pathak, Mohammed Basil, Vivek Sharma, and Sharmila also clinched top honours
Bengaluru: The opening day of the 8th Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships 2026 produced several outstanding performances as para athletes from across India and overseas delivered thrilling contests across track and field events in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
One of the standout performances came in the Men’s 100m T12 category, where Maharashtra’s Chaitanya Pathak clinched gold after clocking 11.39 seconds in a closely contested race. Haryana’s Vishu Vishu finished just behind with 11.42 seconds to take silver, while Andhra Pradesh’s Gowtham Karanam secured bronze in 11.75 seconds.
In the Men’s 100m T47 event, Kerala sprinter Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath impressed with a winning time of 10.63 seconds. Maharashtra’s Dilip Gavit settled for silver at 10.64 seconds, while Karnataka’s Babu Janu Pandaramise claimed bronze in 11.19 seconds.
Punjab’s Vivek Sharma emerged victorious in the Men’s 100m T63 category with a timing of 12.92 seconds. Haryana’s Arpit secured silver in 13.00 seconds, while Uttar Pradesh’s Sandeep Kumar took bronze with 13.40 seconds.
Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar starred in the Men’s Long Jump T47 event with a superb leap of 7.34m to claim gold for Himachal Pradesh. Rajasthan’s Arjun Singh finished second with 6.81m, while Sri Lanka’s Safran Mohammadu earned bronze at 6.72m.
The Men’s Discus Throw F64 competition witnessed one of the closest contests of the day. Pardeep Kumar (S.S.C.B.) won gold with a best throw of 50.47m, narrowly edging Haryana’s Devender Kumar (50.44m) for silver. Rakesh (S.S.C.B.) secured bronze with 49.67m.
In the Women’s Shot Put F57 category, Haryana’s Sharmila won gold with a throw of 9.86m. Karnataka’s Kanchugarakoppa Shyla Shilpa bagged silver with 6.67m, while Haryana’s Poonam Sharma claimed bronze with 6.46m.
Karnataka athlete Rakshitha Raju dominated the Women’s 1500m T11 race, winning gold in 5:17.54. Rajasthan’s Shalini Chaudhary secured silver in 6:07.55, while Kyrgyzstan’s Gulnaz Zhuzbaeva took bronze in 6:19.58.
The championships will continue until May 28, with leading para athletes from India and several other countries competing across multiple disciplines.
