Aparna Dahiya Exits Asian Games After Defeat in Wushu Round of 16
Aparna Dahiya's Asian Games Journey Cut Short
In Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 20, Indian wushu competitor Aparna Dahiya faced a setback, losing 0-2 to Iran's Sogand Sinkaeichetan in the women's 52kg Sanda Round of 16 during the Asian Games 2026.
Aparna, who recently clinched gold at the 11th Sanda World Cup in Macau, was unable to secure a win, losing both rounds with a score of 5-0, allowing Sinkaeichetan to progress further in the tournament.
Prior to this event, Aparna had made headlines by defeating reigning world champion Thi Phuong Nga Ngo from Vietnam in straight sets to earn her gold medal at the World Cup, marking India's first gold in this edition of the competition.
Hailing from Silana village in Haryana and coming from a farming background, Aparna had previously avenged her loss to the Vietnamese athlete at the World Wushu Championships.
On the same day, fellow Indian athlete Vikrant Baliyan is set to compete against Iran's Soheil Mousavi in the men's 75kg Sanda Round of 16 at 4:50 pm IST.
India's opening day at the Asian Games proved fruitful, with notable performances across various sports.
In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan earned a silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle individual final and contributed to another silver in the team event alongside Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod.
In mixed martial arts, Suchika Tariyal secured a medal by defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the women's traditional 60kg quarterfinal.
The Indian hockey teams also showcased their strength, with the women's team dominating Uzbekistan 19-0 in Pool B and the men's team overpowering Indonesia 13-1 in Pool A.
Additionally, the Indian women's cricket team advanced to the finals after a victory over Bangladesh in the semifinals.
In table tennis, both the men's and women's teams triumphed over Indonesia with a score of 3-0 in their Group F matches, while the women's team narrowly defeated Singapore 3-2.
The women's badminton team kicked off their campaign with a convincing 3-0 win against Kazakhstan.
In swimming, Rishabh Das qualified for the men's 100m backstroke final, finishing fifth in the heats and later placing sixth in the final. Benediction Beniston and Akash Mani finished 12th and 23rd, respectively, in the men's 100m freestyle heats.
Wushu athlete Suraj Singh Mayanglambam finished 11th in the men's Changquan final, while teqball player Quimcy Dsouza and the mixed doubles team of Dsouza and Mohamed Anas Beg fell short in their bronze-medal matches.