Double Games-Record Gold for Sri Lanka at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games
Sri Lankan para-athletes Janani Dhananjana Wickramasinghe and Pradeep Somasiri. Photograph: Newswire.
Sri Lanka’s para-athletes delivered two Games-record gold-medal performances at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, where Janani Dhananjana Wickramasinghe and Pradeep Somasiri topped the podium in their respective events on 23 October. Their achievements, alongside a season’s-best silver from Nuwan Indika Gamage and other close contests, provided a fitting sporting highlight to Sri Lanka’s campaign in Japan.
The fifth Asian Para Games ran from 18 to 24 October, bringing together around 4,000 athletes and officials representing a record 45 National Paralympic Committees across 18 sports. Held under the theme “Imagine One Heart”, the seven-day competition featured more than 20 world records and concluded with a message about the part Para sport can play in encouraging inclusion.
Two golds, two Games records
Janani Dhananjana Wickramasinghe won the women’s T47 long jump with a leap of 5.52 metres, setting a new Games record. Her performance earned Sri Lanka one of its two gold medals and added a second medal to her own campaign: she had earlier won silver in the women’s 200 metres, competing across two disciplines at the Games.
AI-generated illustration based on the source image. The athlete shown is illustrative and is not a depiction of Janani Dhananjana Wickramasinghe.
Pradeep Somasiri secured the other gold in the men’s T46 1,500 metres, recording 4:03.25. The time established a new Games record and improved on the mark he set when winning the same event at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where he ran 4:05.14. His latest result represented a faster title defence against strong competition from across Asia. India claimed silver in the event, with the Philippines taking bronze.
The T46 and T47 labels refer to Para athletics sport classes used to group athletes according to eligibility and the impact of impairment on competition. In the long jump and track events, athletes compete under the rules of their relevant class; the classifications allow results to be compared within the appropriate competition category.
AI-generated illustration based on the source image. The athlete shown is illustrative and is not a depiction of Pradeep Somasiri.
A season’s-best silver for Gamage
Nuwan Indika Gamage earned silver in the men’s T44 100 metres, finishing in a season’s-best 11.58 seconds. His result continued a strong record in the event: he won gold at the previous Asian Para Games, and his Aichi-Nagoya time was faster than his 11.63-second winning time in Hangzhou.
The change in medal colour does not diminish the performance. Gamage ran faster than he had when he claimed the earlier title, demonstrating the narrow margins that separate medals at this level and the continuing competitiveness of Sri Lankan athletes on the Asian stage.
AI-generated illustration based on the source image.
Mohamed Safran also won bronze in the men’s T47 long jump. Among the other near-podium finishes, Samitha Dulan, Galina Bandara, Naveed Rahim and Buddika Indrapala placed fourth in their respective events. These results reflect both the breadth of Sri Lanka’s participation and the fine margins involved in reaching a podium at a continental championship.
The wider Aichi-Nagoya Games
At the closing ceremony on Saturday 24 October, Asian Paralympic Committee President Majid Rashed declared the Games closed at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, in the presence of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko. The Asian Paralympic Committee flag was handed over to Doha, which is scheduled to host the 2030 Asian Para Games.
China topped the medal standings with 207 gold medals, followed by host Japan with 64 and Uzbekistan with 45. In total, 33 National Paralympic Committees won at least one medal and 22 claimed at least one gold. Tajikistan and Cambodia celebrated their first-ever Asian Para Games medals.
Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa expressed hope that seeing Para athletes compete would encourage children to help build a more inclusive society. That aspiration gave the closing ceremony a significance extending beyond the results: international competition can increase visibility, challenge assumptions and show young people with disabilities that sporting pathways are open to them.
A campaign with lasting value
The performances in Aichi-Nagoya offer encouragement to young para-athletes and their families in Sri Lanka and among Sri Lankans living abroad. Dhananjana’s medals across the track and field, Somasiri’s successful defence of his title with a faster time, and Gamage’s season’s-best run illustrate the value of sustained preparation and opportunity to compete at the highest level.
The results also point to the importance of continued investment in accessible training, coaching and competition. Record performances are built over time, while close fourth-place finishes demonstrate how small improvements in preparation and support can matter. Broader access to facilities and pathways could help more aspiring athletes develop their abilities and represent Sri Lanka internationally.
eLanka has followed the team’s campaign, from the pre-Games preview and coverage of Dhananjana’s silver-medal performance to the double-gold report and a dedicated account of Dhananjana’s record long jump. Together, the reports trace a campaign defined by record-breaking results, perseverance and the achievements of Sri Lankan athletes on a major Asian stage.
Source: Newswire · International Paralympic Committee · Sri Lanka Island News · SriLankaSports.com · Daily FT
This article was written based on the sources https://www.newswire.lk/2026/10/23/double-gold-for-sri-lanka-at-2026-asian-para-games/, https://www.paralympic.org/news/aichi-nagoya-2026-asian-para-games-close, https://www.srilankaislandnews.com/news/aichi-nagoya-asian-para-games-conclude-with-hopes-for-inclusive-society202610251245440011/, https://www.srilankasports.com/2026/10/23/somasiri-and-dhananjana-strike-gold-as-sri-lanka-shine-at-asian-para-games-2026/ and https://www.ft.lk/sports/Somasiri-and-Dhananjana-Strike-Gold-as-Sri-Lanka-Shine-at-Asian-Para-Games-2026/23-799104, kindly email us at info@eLanka.com.au if any information needs to be corrected.
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