Nagoya, Oct 20 (IANS) Jehan Dorab Madan won a bronze medal in Para Table Tennis Men’s Singles Class 1 here at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games 2026 on Tuesday.

Madan lost 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-3) to Kim Hyeonuk but landed the bronze in men’s singles – class 1. The medal adds to India's growing tally at the Games and highlights the strength of Indian para table tennis on the continental stage.

Madan, who is a former racing driver, has won a total of 13 medals in ITTF tournaments to date, including one gold, four silver and eight bronze. During 2025-26, he won nine medals; five in singles (two silver, three bronze) and four in doubles (two silver, two bronze).

Madan refused to let a life-changing accident end his sporting journey. Popularly known as JD Madan, has emerged as one of India’s leading Class 1 para table tennis players.

Sport has been part of Jehan’s life since childhood. Hailing from Chennai, he picked up a tennis racket at the age of six and played almost every day. He later became a hobby racer, competing in single-seater open-wheel race cars on the circuits around Chennai and finishing on the podium.

In 2007, while on a business trip to Mumbai, a road accident left him paralysed from the chest down. His desire to compete never faded. He took up para table tennis in 2021, studying videos of Paralympic matches and convinced himself that he could do what the players were doing.

Entering the National Para Table Tennis Championships with zero expectations and taking it one match at a time, he won a silver medal in Men’s Class 1 within months of picking up the sport.

Since then, his rise has been rapid. He won his first international gold at the 2023 ITTF Egypt Para Open, and since then the journey has been upwards.

--IANS

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