Suvarna Raj added another gold medal to India’s growing medal tally at the ongoing Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya. With 71 medals – 16 gold, 22 silver and 33 bronze – India rose to the fourth position in the Asian Para Games 2026 medal tally. Suvarna won gold in women’s F54 discus throw.
The 44-year-old from Greater Noida delivered a consistent performance, recording four throws beyond the 15-metre mark in her six attempts. She produced her gold-medal-winning effort of of 15.66m in the fifth attempt to finish on top of the podium. Iran’s Shahla Hadidi took silver with 15.45m, while Vietnam’s Thi Ngoc Thuy Nguyen claimed bronze with 14.65m.
This was also India’s 14th gold medal in athletics in the 2026. A wheelchair user, she Suvarja has represented India at three Asian Para Games and several international competitions and is ranked second in Asia in the F54 discus throw.
Suvarna is coached by Pintu Nagar, and she has built her career in para athletics through determination and disciplined training since taking up the sport in 2017. But there is a life for Suvarna besides sports.
Beyond athletics, Suvarna works as an accessibility specialist and disability rights advocate. She has conducted more than 1,000 accessibility audits across India and served as the (ECI)brand ambassador for accessible elections.
Her training and competition expenses are supported under the government’s Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC), with financial assistance of ₹7,70,607.
The F54 classification is for seated field athletes with impairments affecting trunk and lower-limb function. Athletes compete from a throwing chair and rely primarily on their upper-body strength and arm movement to generate power, with limitations in trunk control influencing their throwing technique.
