Indian Athletes Shine at Asian Games 2026: Table Tennis, Canoeing, and More

Table Tennis Triumphs

On Wednesday, Indian table tennis duos Manush Shah-Diya Chitale and Harmeet Desai-Yashaswini Ghorpade achieved victories in their mixed doubles Round 2 matches at the Asian Games 2026. Manush and Diya triumphed over Sri Lanka's Chanul Kulappuwawadu and Bimandee Swarna with a score of 3-0, winning the sets 11-8, 12-10, and 11-4. Similarly, Harmeet and Yashaswini advanced by defeating the Maldives' Mohamed Ismail and Fathimath Ali.

Canoeing and Rowing Highlights

In the canoe sprint event, Indian athletes Parvathy Geetha and Phairembam Soniya Devi secured a spot in the women's kayak double 500m semifinals, finishing last in Heat A with a time of 2:02.538, which was 14.820 seconds behind the leaders. The top three boats from each heat advanced directly to Final A.

Additionally, on Day 4 of the Games, Balraj Panwar placed third in his men's single sculls heat, qualifying for the final with an overall fourth position. In the men's doubles sculls, Satnam Singh and Salman Khan finished second in their heat, also advancing to the final.

In another canoe sprint event, Harshwardhan Shaktawat, Varinder Singh, L Naocha Singh Oinam, and Arun Singh finished third in the men's kayak four 500m heat, securing a place in the final. Megha Pradeep placed fifth in the women's canoe single 200m heats, moving on to the semifinals.

Shooting and Swimming Updates

In shooting, Manu Bhaker qualified for the women's 10m air pistol individual final, finishing third in qualification with a score of 579-20x. Unfortunately, Suruchi Inder Singh and Esha Singh did not qualify for the final.

In swimming, Benedicton Beniston finished fourth in his men's 100m butterfly heat, placing 13th overall, while Sajan Prakash did not start, both missing the final. Vedaant Madhavan and Aneesh Sunil finished sixth and fourth, respectively, in their men's 200m freestyle heats, with their qualification still pending.

Jaswinder Singh and Nitin Kumar secured fourth place in the men's pair rowing heats, advancing to Final B. The women's four rowing team, consisting of Gurbani Kaur, Aleena Anto, Tendenthoi Haobijam, and Poonam, also participated in the heats.

Upcoming Events

Looking forward, India's men's badminton team, which has already clinched a medal, is set to compete against China in the semifinals, aiming for a place in the final. Additionally, Wushu athlete Roshibina Devi will strive to reach the final of her event on Wednesday.