Navdeep Singh Credits JLN Stadium Training For Asian Para Games Bronze As 50+ Para-Athletes Train At SAI Facility

New Delhi, Oct 24: Indian para-javelin thrower Navdeep Singh believes training alongside fellow Asian Para Games-bound athletes on the main track at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium helped him acclimatise to the competitive environment ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, where he clinched bronze in the men’s javelin throw F40/F41 event, improving on his fourth-place finish at the previous edition in 2022.

“Most of us Asian Games-bound athletes, including me, did our preparations at the JLN Stadium for the Asian Games 2026,” said Navdeep, post 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.

The Paris Paralympics gold medalist also highlighted how dedicated access to the main track at the JLN Stadium benefited athletes across disciplines. “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.

India delivered its best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games, finishing fourth in the medal standings with 114 medals, comprising 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze. Para-athletics emerged as the country’s biggest contributor, accounting for 65 medals, including 22 gold, 19 silver and 24 bronze.

Which Athletes Are Currently Training In JLN?

Several Indian athletes who trained at the Sports Authority of India’s JLN Stadium facility ahead of the Asian Para Games 2026 returned with medals.

Silver medallists:

• Manjeet: Men’s javelin throw F12/F13
• Nimisha Chakkungalparambil: Women’s long jump T47
• Varun Singh Bhati: Men’s high jump T63
• Preeti Pal: Women’s 100m and 200m T35
• Ajeet Singh Yadav: Men’s javelin throw F46

Bronze medallists:

• Sandeep Kumar: Men’s 100m T44
• Sandip Sanjay Sargar: Men’s javelin throw combined classification
• Navdeep Singh: Men’s javelin throw F40/F41
• Anubhav Choudhary: Men’s 100m T35

Other than these medalists, more than 50 para-athletes train at the SAI JLN Stadium.