Navdeep Singh credits SAI JLN Stadium support as India deliver record Asian Para Games medal haul
NEW DELHI: Indian para-javelin star Navdeep Singh has credited the support and training facilities at the Sports Authority of India ’s (SAI) Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium in New Delhi for helping the country’s para-athletes deliver a historic performance at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games.
India finished fourth in the continental competition with a record 114 medals — 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze — its best-ever haul at the Games. Para athletics led the charge with 65 medals, including 22 gold, 19 silver and 24 bronze.
Navdeep won bronze in the men’s javelin throw F40/F41 on Friday, improving on his fourth-place finish at the 2022 edition. The Paris Paralympics gold medallist said training alongside fellow athletes at the JLN Stadium’s main track helped him prepare for the competition environment in Aichi-Nagoya.
“Most of us Asian Games-bound athletes, including me, did our preparations at the JLN Stadium for the Asian Games 2026,” said Navdeep after his medal win. “This allowed us to acclimatise and get the feel. Despite the ongoing [Indian Super League] football matches, they kept the Asian Games a priority, which I felt was quite impressive, and that supported me,” he added.
Dedicated training access helped athletes
Navdeep also highlighted how access to the main track allowed athletes across disciplines to focus on their preparations without unnecessary delays.
“Sprinters need an empty track, so they got a good chance to train inside it. I majorly train at the SAI Regional Centres [Bengaluru, Sonipat and Gandhinagar], where there is not much crowd and I don’t have to wait for other athletes to finish their throws. This all happened here at the JLN Stadium too. I could focus on my preparations rather than focusing on rotations and waiting for my turn,” Navdeep said, expressing hopes of returning to the JLN Stadium for the next season.
A total of 14 para-athletics medallists from the Aichi-Nagoya Games trained at the JLN Stadium ahead of the competition. More than 50 other para-athletes also train at the facility.
JLN-trained athletes contribute to medal haul
The athletes who trained at the facility delivered medals across track and field events . Gold medallists included Praveen Kumar in the men’s high jump T64, Sandeep Kumar in the men’s 400m T64, where he set a world record, Pranav Soorma in the men’s club throw F51, Rinku Hooda in the men’s javelin throw F46, and Simran Sharma, who won the women’s 100m and 200m T12 titles, setting Games records in both events.
The silver medallists included Manjeet, Nimisha Chakkungalparambil, Varun Singh Bhati , Preeti Pal and Ajeet Singh Yadav. Bronze medallists included Sandeep Kumar in the men’s 100m T44, Sandip Sanjay Sargar in the men’s javelin combined classification event, Navdeep in the men’s javelin F40/F41 and Anubhav Choudhary in the men’s 100m T35.
The medal-winning performances highlighted the contribution of the JLN Stadium’s training environment to India’s record campaign at the Asian Para Games.
India finished fourth in the continental competition with a record 114 medals — 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze — its best-ever haul at the Games. Para athletics led the charge with 65 medals, including 22 gold, 19 silver and 24 bronze.
Navdeep won bronze in the men’s javelin throw F40/F41 on Friday, improving on his fourth-place finish at the 2022 edition. The Paris Paralympics gold medallist said training alongside fellow athletes at the JLN Stadium’s main track helped him prepare for the competition environment in Aichi-Nagoya.
“Most of us Asian Games-bound athletes, including me, did our preparations at the JLN Stadium for the Asian Games 2026,” said Navdeep after his medal win. “This allowed us to acclimatise and get the feel. Despite the ongoing [Indian Super League] football matches, they kept the Asian Games a priority, which I felt was quite impressive, and that supported me,” he added.
Dedicated training access helped athletes
Navdeep also highlighted how access to the main track allowed athletes across disciplines to focus on their preparations without unnecessary delays.
“Sprinters need an empty track, so they got a good chance to train inside it. I majorly train at the SAI Regional Centres [Bengaluru, Sonipat and Gandhinagar], where there is not much crowd and I don’t have to wait for other athletes to finish their throws. This all happened here at the JLN Stadium too. I could focus on my preparations rather than focusing on rotations and waiting for my turn,” Navdeep said, expressing hopes of returning to the JLN Stadium for the next season.
A total of 14 para-athletics medallists from the Aichi-Nagoya Games trained at the JLN Stadium ahead of the competition. More than 50 other para-athletes also train at the facility.
JLN-trained athletes contribute to medal haul
The athletes who trained at the facility delivered medals across track and field events . Gold medallists included Praveen Kumar in the men’s high jump T64, Sandeep Kumar in the men’s 400m T64, where he set a world record, Pranav Soorma in the men’s club throw F51, Rinku Hooda in the men’s javelin throw F46, and Simran Sharma, who won the women’s 100m and 200m T12 titles, setting Games records in both events.
The silver medallists included Manjeet, Nimisha Chakkungalparambil, Varun Singh Bhati , Preeti Pal and Ajeet Singh Yadav. Bronze medallists included Sandeep Kumar in the men’s 100m T44, Sandip Sanjay Sargar in the men’s javelin combined classification event, Navdeep in the men’s javelin F40/F41 and Anubhav Choudhary in the men’s 100m T35.
The medal-winning performances highlighted the contribution of the JLN Stadium’s training environment to India’s record campaign at the Asian Para Games.
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