Asian Para Games: Kokila assures India of judo medal, sets up gold-medal clash

Kokila assures India of judo medal (Image - X)

India’s Kokila secured a medal in para-judo at the Asian Para Games on Monday after defeating China’s Yi Liu in the semifinals of the women’s J2 -52kg category.The visually impaired judoka edged past her Chinese opponent 1-0 at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall to book her place in the final, where she will compete for gold against Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy later in the day.Kokila registered one waza-ari, the second-highest technical score in judo, and one yuko for an effective technique during the semifinal. Liu also managed one waza-ari, while the Indian received a shido penalty for a minor rule infringement.The result guarantees Kokila at least a silver medal, improving on her performance at the previous edition in Hangzhou, where she won bronze in the -48kg category.Hailing from Kasun village in Haryana’s Jind district, Kokila was also part of India’s campaign at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.The J2 classification is for judokas with varying degrees of visual impairment.

Kapil Parmar to fight for bronze

India’s Kapil Parmar, meanwhile, will compete for bronze in the men’s J1 -70kg category after losing his semifinal against Indonesia’s Junaedi by a score of 0-1.

Parmar will face another Indonesian, Ahnaf Rafli Shidqi, in the bronze-medal playoff later on Monday.The J1 category is for athletes with severe visual impairments, ranging from total blindness to minimal light perception.

Sheetal Devi equals world record in archery

Earlier on Monday, India’s para-archer Sheetal Devi delivered another standout performance, equalling the world record in the women’s compound archery ranking round.Competing at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square, Sheetal scored 704 points out of a possible 720 to match the world record jointly held by Turkey’s Oznur Cure.The record-equalling effort added to India’s encouraging start at the 2026 Asian Para Games, with athletes making their mark across multiple disciplines.