Asian Para Games: Himanshu Nandal wins bronze, gives India second swimming medal

NEW DELHI: Indian para-swimmer Himanshu Nandal clinched a bronze medal in the men's 400m freestyle S11 event at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Tuesday, securing India's second medal in swimming at the continental showpiece. The 22-year-old from Rohtak clocked 5 minutes and 10.91 seconds to finish third in the four-swimmer field. China's Chuanzhen Sun won gold with an Asian-record performance, while Japan's Uchu Tomita claimed silver. Nandal's podium finish added to India's growing medal tally in Nagoya and came a day after he narrowly missed out on a medal in the men's 100m backstroke S11 event, finishing fourth.

From judo to swimming, Nandal makes his mark

Nandal, who has been blind since birth due to optic nerve failure, has taken a distinctive route to international para-swimming. A political science graduate from Delhi University's Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, he initially pursued judo and won medals at the national level before switching to swimming in 2021. He competes in the S11 classification, which is for swimmers with near-total visual impairment. His bronze on Tuesday marked a significant achievement after his fourth-place finish in the backstroke event a day earlier.

Budigina misses out after silver-medal success

India's Ravi Karthik Budigina also competed in the men's 400m freestyle, finishing outside the medal positions in the S13 category with a time of 5:41.70. Budigina had delivered India's first swimming medal of this edition on Monday, winning silver in the men's 100m freestyle S13 event with a time of 56.68 seconds. Uzbekistan's Egor Bolotov took gold in 52.90 seconds, while Kazakhstan's Viktor Volkov claimed bronze in 57.23 seconds. The S13 classification is for athletes with a vision impairment who have the least vision loss among eligible competitors in para-swimming.

India add to their medal tally

Nandal's bronze gave India another boost at the Asian Para Games, following Budigina's silver on Monday. India's para-swimmers will look to build on the early success as the competition continues in Aichi-Nagoya. The Indian contingent has so far won five gold, eight silver and 11 bronze medals, taking its overall tally to 24.