Aichi-Nagoya: India's Alphia James and Pallavi Kaluvehalli have created history at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, winning the country's first-ever wheelchair badminton medal — a bronze in the women's doubles WH1-WH2 event, The Bridge reported, via Inshorts, on October 21.

The Indian pair's medal was confirmed after their semi-final against China's Xu Tingting and Yang Fan, which they lost 3-21, 9-21. In para badminton, the losing semi-finalists receive bronze, so reaching the last four had already put India on the podium in wheelchair badminton for the first time at these Games.

James and Kaluvehalli earned that semi-final place with a hard-fought win in their final group match, defeating China's Li Jiaqi and Li Hongyan 21-18, 10-21, 21-19, according to Khelnow's Day 2 results round-up, which recorded the pair's progress to the semi-finals. The Bridge report put India's overall tally at the Games at 47 medals at the time of the result.

The bronze adds a new chapter to India's para badminton story at the continental Games, where Indian players have previously won medals in standing categories. For James and Kaluvehalli, the medal is a first for India in the wheelchair classes — a milestone the country's para sports programme had been chasing.

Sources: The Bridge (report carried by Inshorts, October 21, 2026); Khelnow (Asian Para Games Day 2 results, October 20, 2026).