Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 19 : India's Kapil Parmar clinched the bronze medal in the men's J1 -70kg para-judo event at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Monday, defeating Indonesia's Shidqi Rafli Ahnaf by Ippon in just 69 seconds in the bronze medal match.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medallist secured his second Asian Para Games medal, having won silver at the Hangzhou edition in 2023. His bronze is India's third medal at the ongoing Games and the country's first in para judo.
Earlier in the competition, Parmar defeated Mongolia's Baatarsuren Bat-Erdene by Ippon in 4 minutes and 53 seconds during Golden Score in the quarterfinals to advance in the tournament.
Speaking after his medal-winning performance, Parmar expressed satisfaction with his achievement while acknowledging that he had entered the competition aiming for gold.
"I am feeling good. It's been a long time since I won a medal. I have worked very hard. My coach worked very hard on me. By chance, I came prepared for the gold medal, but today was not my day or my luck, so I won the bronze medal. Thank you so much to all Indians. Thank you so much to everyone. Thank you so much to TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) and SAI (Sports Authority of India). Thank you to everyone. Thank you to OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) as well. Thank you so much, India," Parmar told the media, as per a press release from PCI.
His coach, Munawar Anzar, said the medal was particularly important for Parmar after he had faced personal challenges in recent months, including his mother's ill health.
"It was very important for him to win the bronze medal. He won the bronze medal in the Paralympics. But after that, there were some situations where his mother was not feeling well at home. Because of this, he went down a lot. Mentally as well. But I told him that he has to dedicate this medal to his mother. So he did it today. This is the biggest thing that we got the medal. And we got the bronze medal with which we will prepare very hard for the upcoming Paralympics," Anzar said, as per a press release from PCI.
Parmar made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games by becoming India's first judoka to win a Paralympic medal, securing bronze in the men's J1 -60kg category.
His journey to the international stage has been marked by significant adversity. Parmar lost his eyesight after being electrocuted when an electricity cable fell into a waterlogged field in which he was working. Despite the challenges, he continued his sporting journey and trained at the Indian Para Judo Academy in Lucknow.
The Indian para-judoka has since established himself among the leading athletes in the sport, winning gold medals at several international competitions, including the IBSA Judo Grand Prix events in Alexandria in 2023 and Antalya and Tbilisi in 2024.