Rakesh Bhatt at Asian Para Games in Japan

Rakesh Bhatt: From a Small Gujarat Village to the Asian Para Games 2026

✍️ By Shri Pradeep Trivedi

English translation adapted from the original Gujarati article without changes to the content or experiences described by the author. 

Freelance Writer | Author | Sports Analyst | Lecturer | Sports Journalist

The 25-year-old sprinter from Bhavnagar district has won national and international medals despite cerebral palsy. He will represent India in the 100m and 200m races at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.

Rakesh Bhatt, a para-athlete from Moti Babariyat village in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, is preparing to represent India at the 5th Asian Para Games 2026. The 25-year-old will compete in the 100-metre and 200-metre races in the T37 category for athletes with coordination and movement difficulties.

The competition will take place in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from 18 to 24 October. Around 3,600 to 4,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries are expected to compete in 18 sports.

For Bhatt, reaching this stage has taken years of medical treatment, family support and athletic training. He was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and muscle control. His right arm and right leg have not worked properly since childhood.

His journey began in a village where some children called him lame because he struggled to walk. Today, his running results have earned him respect in the same community.

Bhatt’s father, Dhanjibhai, is a small farmer, while his mother, Liliben, helps with farm work. Rakesh is the fifth of their six children. The family had a limited income and no vehicle of its own.

His disability became clear when he started school at the age of seven. A physical education teacher noticed his difficulty walking and encouraged him to run. After seeing him fall repeatedly, the teacher advised his parents to seek medical help.

The family began travelling from their village to Sir T Hospital in Bhavnagar, about 50 kilometres away. Doctors advised visits twice a week. Paying for travel and treatment was difficult, so his parents borrowed money from villagers.

They continued these trips for nearly four years, putting much of their farming work aside to care for their son.

A later opportunity came through the Sadvichar Parivar Rehabilitation Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Gandhinagar. The organisation provided accommodation, food and education without charge. Bhatt completed Classes 1 to 6 in his village before studying from Class 7 to Class 12 at the centre.

There, he took part in several activities. Running became his favourite. Even when he fell, he kept trying. His sporting hero was Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

From School Races To International Medals

Bhatt’s first major break came at the Special Khel Mahakumbh, where he won the 100-metre race. His performance brought him to the attention of Apurva Biswas, a coach with the Gujarat Para Athletics Association. Biswas brought him to Pace Academy in Ahmedabad.

Bhatt later completed a commerce degree at Gujarat University and began studying for an MBA. Since September 2024, he has trained with Pace Academy under Biswas, a former senior athletics coach and high-performance manager who retired from the Sports Authority of India.

His medal record includes silver medals in both sprint events at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, as reported in his account, and again in Morocco in 2025.

At the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi in March 2026, Bhatt won gold in both events. Official competition results recorded his time in the 200-metre T37 race as 24.10 seconds.

He also won gold medals in the 100-metre and 200-metre events at the 24th National Para Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in 2026.

According to the figures provided in his profile, he has won 18 gold medals and 20 silver medals at the national and international level. His reported 200-metre time of 23.44 seconds places him first in Asia and third in the world rankings.

He was also selected as the only athlete from Gujarat for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games are among the biggest multi-sport events for athletes with disabilities. The programme includes para-athletics, para-badminton, blind football, wheelchair basketball and para-table tennis.

India’s performance at the previous Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023 set a national record, with 108 medals: 27 gold, 32 silver and 49 bronze.

India’s team for the 2026 edition has since been reported as 166 athletes, including 111 men and 55 women, across 10 sports. This differs from the earlier figure of 176 athletes. Badminton player Pramod Bhagat and table tennis player Bhavina Patel have been named as India’s flag-bearers.

Six athletes from Gujarat are listed for the Games: Bhavina Patel and Sonal Patel in table tennis; Rakesh Bhatt, Anjanaben Bumbadiya and Bhavik Kumar Bharwad in athletics; and Vishnu Vaghela in blind football.

The event follows the 2026 Asian Games, also held in Aichi-Nagoya, where India finished fourth with 21 gold medals.

A Message Shaped By Sport

Bhatt credits his parents, Sadvichar Parivar and coach Apurva Biswas for helping him reach this stage. He enjoys garba and likes eating rotla, brinjal curry and khaman dhokla.

His approach to sport rests on discipline, passion and confidence. He says he has never allowed setbacks to stop him from working towards his goals.

“I did not choose sports. Sports chose me.”

For Bhatt, the coming races in Japan will offer another chance to test his ability against Asia’s leading para-athletes. His journey also shows the value of access to education, medical care, training and family support for young people with disabilities.

As he prepares for the 100-metre and 200-metre races, he carries the hopes of his family, his village and Gujarat’s sporting community.

Acknowledgement:

Newz Daddy extends sincere thanks to Shri Pradeep Trivedi, author, sports analyst and journalist, for sharing his memorable Asian Games details. We also appreciate the photographs and personal experiences that have enriched this article.

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