Kokila has put India’s para-judo campaign on the map. She walked into the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall on Monday, locked eyes with China’s Yi Liu, and came out with a 1-0 win. The scoreline looks tight, but the impact is massive. She has locked up at least a silver, instantly surpassing her bronze medal haul from Hangzhou 2022. That’s not just a result; it’s a statement from the Kasun village warrior.
The fight was a chess match of pain and precision. Kokila landed a waza-ari and a yuko, while Liu matched her with a waza-ari of her own. A shido penalty hit the Indian for a minor infringement, but it didn’t stall her momentum. She held the line. In J2, where vision is compromised, the instinct is pure. Kokila’s instinct was sharper.
Now, the stakes have jumped a notch. She’s going up against Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy for the gold. The final is scheduled for later in the day. This is her moment to cement her status as a global threat, following her stint at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
It’s not all silver linings for the Indian squad. Kapil Parmar, fighting in the men’s J1 -70kg category, dropped his semifinal bid 0-1 to Indonesia’s Junaedi. He’s still in the game, though. He faces Ahnaf Rafli Shidqi in the bronze-medal playoff later Monday. The J1 category is brutal—total blindness to minimal light perception—and every point counts.
While judo stole the spotlight, the archery lanes were equally loud. Sheetal Devi, India’s para-archer, shot 704 points in the women’s compound ranking round at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park. That number? It’s a world record. She tied the mark set by Turkey’s Oznur Cure. India is hitting its stride at the 2026 Asian Para Games, and the medal tally is starting to look serious.
Next up: Kokila’s gold-medal clash against Kyrgyzstan later today.