There was another double podium for India in the 2026 Para Asian Games on the second day of action on Tuesday (October 20) in the Men’s Discus Throw F51/F52/F3 category as Pranav Soorma and Ram Ratan Singh secured the gold and silver medals at the Paloma Mizhua Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
Pranav created history as she at Asian record with an incredible throw of 11.66m. Meanwhile, Ram finished second and comfortably secured a place on the podium with a throw of 10.35m. Iran’s Alireza Mokhtari, who is a F53 athlete, won the bronze medal through the Raza points system.
For those unversed, these categories are for seated athletes with impairment in the trunk and legs.
Who Is Pranav Soorma?
The history-maker Pranav comes from Haryana’s Faridabad and did his schooling at Delhi’s St Paul School. His life turned upside down in 16, when he suffered an accident, which led to a spinal cord injury. Alongside his sporting career, he also works as a scale 2 manager at the Bank of Baroda.
This is his second medal in the Asian Para Games in history, after also securing the gold in the 2023 edition at Hangzhou. A year later, he made a mark on the global level with a silver medal in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Who Is Ram Ratan Singh?
Ram hails from Chhata, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Before an injury left him impaired, he was an active Kabaddi player and Wrestler and played both sports at the national level. After turning focus to Para Sports, he took up discus throw in 2019. This is the first-ever major event medal the 31-year-old has won his career. He won the gold medal in the India Open in both 2025 and 2026 while also securing the top spot on the podium in the nationals earlier this year.