Nagoya: Indian para-shooter Mona Agarwal shattered the world record to win gold in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event at the Asian Para Games on Friday.
Agarwal scored 357.5 to set a new world record and claim her second gold medal of the Games. She also surpassed the Asian record of 355.7, set by South Korea's Lee Yunri in Changwon last month.
China's Zhang Cuiping took silver with 353.7, while South Korea's Kim Miyoung claimed bronze with 344.4. India's Avani Lekhara finished fourth with 333.2. Earlier, Agarwal had won gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event with a Games-record score of 250.0. Lekhara took silver with 249.6.
India also enjoyed success in para archery and athletics, with Harvinder Singh and debutant Vijay Sundi creating history in the men's recurve doubles event. The Indian pair defeated China's Yun Duo and Zhao Lixue 5-1 to clinch gold.
In para athletics, Sandeep and Haney added to India's gold-medal tally with world-record performances in their respective events. Sandeep clocked 52.28 seconds to win the men's 400m T64 final, setting a new world record. Haney followed suit in the men's javelin throw F37/38 final, producing a world-record effort of 60.49 metres. His throw earned him 1,116 Raza points and another gold medal for India.
Meanwhile, Indian shuttlers enjoyed a successful day, with Paris Paralympic champion Nitesh Kumar winning gold in the men's singles SL3 category and silver in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event.
Nitesh produced a clinical performance to defeat compatriot and Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the men's singles final. He later teamed up with Thulasimathi Murugesan to claim silver in mixed doubles. The Indian pair lost 21-11, 19-21, 14-21 to Indonesia's Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani in the final.
Reflecting on his singles victory, Nitesh said: "Last time I was close, I was leading 19-16 in the third set, and then I lost. So this time, winning it and again winning in two sets against Pramod is, of course, very special, and I think it's one of the rarest of the rare things to see."
Naveen Sivakumar also struck gold, topping the men's singles SL4 category with a 21-9, 21-17 victory over Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan in 36 minutes. Making his Asian Para Games debut, Naveen handled the occasion with composure to secure the title. He had previously won gold at the Uganda Para Badminton International in 2022 and silver at the 2026 BWF Para Badminton World Championships in Bahrain.
He also claimed silver at the French Para Badminton International in June 2026, adding to his record of consistent performances on the international circuit. "It was my first Asian Games, but I had met all my opponents in previous tournaments. So I prepared myself like it was a normal tournament. I should not be under pressure," Naveen said.
(With Inputs from PTI, ANI)