Indian para-athlete Pranav Soorma won gold in the men's discus throw at the 2026 Asian Para Games, setting a new Asian record with a throw of 11.66 metres in Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday, October 20.
The 31-year-old's performance secured another continental title for India and delivered a one-two finish for the country, with fellow Indian athlete Ram Ratan Singh taking silver. Iran's Alireza Hemami finished third in the combined F51/F52/F53 event.
Soorma's victory is another significant achievement in a sporting career shaped by perseverance and adaptation. A severe spinal cord injury at the age of 16 left him with quadriplegia, but he went on to become one of India's leading para-athletes, winning silver in the club throw at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Soorma produced a best effort of 11.66 metres to establish a new Asian record in the men's combined F51/F52/F53 discus throw event.
His compatriot Ram Ratan Singh secured second place with a throw of 10.35 metres. Both Indian athletes compete in the F51 classification.
Iran's Alireza Hemami recorded a longer raw distance of 20.20 metres but finished with the bronze medal. The result was determined using the Raza points system, which adjusts performances to account for differences between athletes' sport classifications.
The Indian pair's gold-and-silver finish strengthened the country's medal tally at the Games and highlighted its continued presence in international para-athletics.
The result may seem surprising because Hemami's 20.20-metre throw was considerably longer than Soorma's winning distance. However, the event brought together athletes from three different sport classes: F51, F52 and F53.
In para-athletics, sport classes group athletes according to how their impairments affect performance in a particular event. When athletes from different classes compete together, raw distances may not provide a fair basis for comparing their performances.
The Raza points system addresses this by converting performances into scores using classification-specific tables. The athlete with the highest adjusted points total wins, rather than necessarily the athlete who throws the farthest.
Soorma earned 932 Raza points for his winning performance, while Ram Ratan Singh scored 809 points. Hemami's longer throw did not translate into a higher adjusted score, leaving the two Indian athletes in the top two positions.
Born on October 4, 1994, Soorma hails from Faridabad, Haryana. His life changed dramatically in 2011, when he suffered a severe spinal cord injury at just 16 years old. The injury left him with quadriplegia, affecting movement in all four limbs.
He continued his education despite the challenges of his condition, attending St Paul's School in Delhi before completing a postgraduate degree at the Delhi School of Economics. Alongside his sporting career, he works as a Scale-II manager at Bank of Baroda.
His family has played an important role in his journey. His father, Sanjeev Soorma, left his job to support him as a full-time companion and athletic attendant, helping him manage the demands of training and international competition.
Soorma eventually entered para-athletics under the guidance of coach Narsi Ram. In seated throwing events, he relies on upper-body strength and technique while secured in a specialised throwing chair.
His progress reflects years of training and adaptation, turning a life-altering injury into the starting point of an accomplished sporting career.
Soorma's breakthrough on the global stage came at the Paris Paralympics in 2024, where he won silver in the men's club throw F51 event. He finished behind compatriot Dharambir, giving India a memorable one-two finish in the competition.
He had also won gold in the club throw at the previous Asian Para Games, held in Hangzhou in 2023, where he set a Games record with a throw of 30.01 metres. His achievements have established him as a prominent name in India's para-athletics programme.
The discus gold in Nagoya adds a new achievement to that record. It also demonstrates his ability to compete successfully in another throwing event at a major international competition.
Soorma's victory was part of India's strong showing at the Asian Para Games on October 20. Ram Ratan Singh's silver in the same event gave India both top positions in the men's combined discus competition.
The Asian Para Games bring together athletes from across the continent to compete in a range of para-sports. For Indian athletes, the event offers an important international platform to build on performances at the Paralympics and other global competitions.
For Soorma, the Asian-record performance is another milestone in a career defined by consistent progress. From recovering after a spinal cord injury as a teenager to winning Paralympic and continental medals, his latest victory adds a new chapter to his journey.