Nishio (Japan), Sept. 29 -- India continued its medal-winning campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with strong performances across shooting and boxing. The Indian contingent added to its medal tally as shooters and boxers delivered notable results, while athletes also remained in contention across several disciplines. The Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, with competitions taking place across multiple venues in Japan.
India's campaign has been particularly strong in shooting, athletics, kabaddi and other combat sports. By the end of September 28, India had won 45 medals - four gold, 20 silver and 21 bronze - and stood 12th in the overall medal standings. China led the table at that stage with 132 gold medals and 230 medals overall, followed by Japan and South Korea.
The gold medals India had secured by then came from shooting, cricket and kabaddi. Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet won gold in the mixed team 10m air pistol event, while India's women's cricket team and the men's and women's kabaddi teams also finished on top of the podium. Shooting remained one of India's biggest medal contributors. Esha Singh had earlier won silver in the women's 25m air pistol event, while Indian shooters had also secured medals in air rifle, rifle 3P and skeet events. The athletics contingent also produced several strong results. Gulveer Singh won silver in the men's 10,000m and later added another silver in the 1500m. Sreeshankar Murali won silver in the men's long jump, while Yashvir Singh secured silver in the javelin throw. Rohit Yadav won bronze in the same event.
Ancy Sojan won silver in the women's long jump, while Sarvesh Kushare took silver in the men's high jump. Vithya Ramraj won bronze in the women's 400m hurdles, while Parul Chaudhary secured bronze medals in the women's 3000m steeplechase and 5000m. Tejaswin Shankar also won bronze in the men's decathlon. In squash, India also made an impact, with Anahat Singh winning silver in the women's singles and Abhay Singh taking silver in the men's singles. The mixed doubles pair of Joshana Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar won bronze.
The boxing competition provided further medal opportunities for India. Narender Berwal secured a bronze medal after losing his men's +90kg semifinal to Kazakhstan's Aibek Oralbay. Oralbay won the bout by a unanimous 5-0 decision and advanced to the gold-medal match, while Narender finished with bronze. India also secured two places in boxing finals. Parveen Hooda reached the women's 65kg final after defeating China's Li Shu, assuring herself at least a silver medal. Ankush Panghal also progressed to the men's 80kg final after defeating Uzbekistan's Fazliddin Erkinboev, ensuring another silver medal for India. Shooting produced one of the biggest highlights of India's campaign with Neeru Dhanda winning gold in the women's individual trap event. Dhanda finished the final with 28 points, ahead of China's Sun Yunong, who scored 26, while Kuwait's Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze with 21 points. Dhanda's victory was particularly significant as it gave India its first individual shooting gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She had earlier helped India win silver in the women's team trap event alongside Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat. Dhanda also topped the individual qualification round with a score of 118.
The women's trap team consisting of Dhanda, Keer and Ahlawat finished with the silver medal. India's men's trap team, meanwhile, missed out on a team medal, although Shapath Bharadwaj advanced to the individual final. Beyond shooting and boxing, Indian athletes were involved in several other events. In archery, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan progressed through their respective men's recurve individual rounds. Chauhan defeated South Korea's Kim Je-deok 6-4 in the round of 16, while Bommadevara also advanced after defeating Cheng Hsiang-Hui of Chinese Taipei 6-2.
In tennis, India's Dhakshineswar Suresh advanced in the men's singles after defeating Indonesia's Gunawan Trismuwantara 7-5, 7-6 in the second round. In squash, India's women's team also registered a win over Iran in the pool stage. India's surfing campaign, however, ended after Kishore Kumar Anbarasu lost his men's shortboard quarterfinal to the Philippines' Toby Espejon. Anbarasu finished with a score of 5.37 against Espejon's 8.53. The Indian contingent also competed in cycling, canoe slalom and kurash. Indian athletes progressed in several canoe slalom events, while Vipin Kumar was eliminated in the men's 66kg kurash round of 16. The men's and women's cycling team sprint squads also competed in qualification rounds.
India's performance in Aichi-Nagoya has been marked by a broad spread of medals across sports. Along with shooting and athletics, the country has collected medals in kabaddi, cricket, boxing, squash, weightlifting, badminton, wushu, rowing, soft tennis, table tennis, kurash and mixed martial arts. With several athletics, boxing and shooting events still offering medal opportunities, India's position in the standings remained subject to change as the Games entered their final stages. The Asian Games 2026 will conclude on October 4, with India continuing its campaign across multiple disciplines in the closing days of competition.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.