Indian Athletes Face Challenges at Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya

Disappointing Semifinal Results for Indian Sprinters

In Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 25, Indian sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur were unable to qualify for the men's 100m final during the Asian Games 2026. Gurindervir finished fifth in his semifinal heat, while Animesh placed seventh, marking the end of their athletics journey at the Games.

Gurindervir clocked a time of 10.32 seconds in Heat 2, where Oman’s Al Balushi Ali led with a time of 10.01 seconds. China's Xie Zhenye and South Korea's Biwesa Daniel followed, finishing second and third with times of 10.18 and 10.22 seconds, respectively.

Animesh Kujur, competing in Heat 3, recorded a time of 10.38 seconds, securing seventh place. South Korea’s Nwamadi Joeljin topped this heat with a time of 10.17 seconds, while Malaysia’s Mohd Muhammad and Japan’s Koike Yuki finished second and third with times of 10.25 and 10.31 seconds.

Despite the setbacks for Gurindervir and Kujur, Gulveer Singh shone brightly by winning a silver medal in the men’s 10,000m event, finishing with a commendable time of 28:29.38.

Earlier, Manpreet Kaur added to India's medal tally by clinching bronze in the women's shot put, achieving her best throw of 17.17 meters on her fourth attempt.

India's Day 6 at the Asian Games was marked by several medal wins, including gold for shooters Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. Additionally, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, and Niraj Kumar secured silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.

In table tennis, the mixed doubles duo of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale earned bronze after reaching the semi-finals, where they faced defeat against China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.

The squash mixed doubles team of Joshana Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar also advanced to the semi-finals, ensuring a medal for India. Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh progressed to their respective singles semi-finals.

Both the men's and women's kabaddi teams from India secured spots in the finals after winning their semi-final matches against Thailand and Nepal.

In hockey, the Indian women's team triumphed over Japan with a score of 3-1 in their Pool B match.

In other events, swimmer Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men’s 200m backstroke final, while weightlifter Seram Nirupama Devi placed seventh in the women’s 61kg category. Boxer Preeti's campaign concluded in the round of 16 after a 0-5 loss to North Korea’s Pang Chol Mi.

Currently, India stands at 12th place on the medals chart with a total of 21 medals, comprising two gold, nine silver, and eleven bronze.