Asian Para Games: Dharmaraj Solairaj Defends Gold With Record-Breaking 7.15M Leap

(MENAFN- IANS) Nagoya, Oct 22 (IANS) India's Dharmaraj Solairaj strengthened his position among Asia's leading para-athletes on Thursday, defending his men's long jump title at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a record-breaking effort of 7.15m.

Competing in the combined T44/T62/T64 final at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, the 32-year-old Tamil Nadu athlete produced his decisive jump on his second attempt, setting a new Asian record and securing his second successive gold medal at the continental multi-sport event.

The performance marked another milestone in Solairaj's progression since winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2023. It also improved his previous Asian record of 7.08m, which he established at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.

Solairaj began his competition with a jump of 6.88m before soaring to 7.15m in the second round. He subsequently registered efforts of 6.82m and 6.85m before fouling his final two attempts. His early record-setting leap, however, proved sufficient to secure the title.

Malaysia's Eddy Bernard finished second with 740 Raza points after recording a best distance of 6.34m in the T44 classification. Japan's Yuma Tamaki claimed bronze with 726 points, producing a personal-best jump of 6.89m in the T64 category.

In the combined event, athletes from different classifications are assessed through the Raza points system, which accounts for the performance standards associated with their respective impairment categories. Solairaj finished at the top of the standings with 807 points.

The victory continued a remarkable sequence of improvements for the Indian jumper. At Hangzhou in October 2023, he claimed the Asian Para Games title with a final-round leap of 6.80m, which set an Asian record at the time. He subsequently raised the benchmark to 7.08m at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, despite finishing seventh in the competition.

Earlier in 2026, Solairaj also won the combined T44/T64 long jump event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi with an effort of 7.05m, providing another indication of his form ahead of the Asian Para Games.

Competing in the T64 classification, Solairaj has now added another major title to his collection while pushing the continental record further. The category includes athletes with lower-limb impairments or below-knee amputations who compete using running prostheses.

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