Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar Advance to Quarterfinals at Asian Games

Mixed Doubles Success for India

In Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 24, the duo of Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar triumphed in the mixed doubles squash event at the Asian Games, defeating fellow Indians Suraj Chand and Shameena Riaz. The match concluded with a score of 2-0, featuring game scores of 11-7 and 11-10, as reported by a sports media outlet.

The initial game was straightforward for Joshna and Velavan, who secured it 11-7. However, the second game proved to be more challenging, with Suraj and Shameena rallying from a 7-9 deficit to tie the score at 9-9. Ultimately, the seasoned experience of Joshna and Velavan shone through.

In another highlight, Indian wushu competitor Roshibina Devi claimed her second consecutive silver medal at the Asian Games, narrowly losing to Zhang Xiaoyu from China in the women's sanda 60 kg final. Roshibina, who also earned a silver medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, faced a tough match, losing both rounds 0-5, resulting in a 2-0 defeat overall.

With a bronze medal from the 2018 Asian Games already under her belt, Roshibina has now made history as the first Indian woman to secure three consecutive medals in Wushu at the Asian Games. Her impressive journey in Japan included a victory over the 2023 world champion Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy from Vietnam.

Earlier in the week, Roshibina advanced to the finals by defeating Indonesia's Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 in the semi-finals.

India has now amassed a total of 14 medals at the ongoing Asian Games, including one gold, six silvers, and seven bronzes. Additionally, the team of Satnam Singh and Salman Khan earned a bronze medal in the men's double sculls final, finishing with a time of 6:13.25, trailing behind China's Yi Xudi and Nie Yide, who took gold.

Despite maintaining a strong position at the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m marks, Satnam and Salman fell back in the final stretch. In the men's singles sculls, Balraj Panwar finished fourth after initially holding second place but was overtaken in the last 500m, clocking in at 6:54.80, which was 15 seconds behind gold medalist Zhiwei Deng from China.