Exciting Day 8 Awaits Indian Athletes at Asian Games 2026
Packed Schedule for Day 8
On Sunday, the Indian team is gearing up for an action-packed Day 8 at the Asian Games 2026, featuring numerous medal events, finals, and critical qualification rounds across various sports.
Early Morning Events
The day kicks off early, starting with Kamali Moorthy competing against Singapore's Camille Marie in the women's shortboard Round 2 at 3:58 AM IST at Long Beach, Tahara. At 4:00 AM, race walkers Priyanka and Manju Rani will participate in the women's marathon race walk final. Additionally, India's archers, including Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Thirumuru Ganesh Maniratnam, and Kushal Dalal, will begin their elimination round against the UAE, while the women's team faces Mongolia. Surfers Sugar Shanti Banarse and Sivaraj Babu will also be in action, and at 5:30 AM, the Sepaktakraw team will compete against the Republic of Korea.
At 6:00 AM, equestrian riders Hriday Chheda and Jai Sud will participate in the individual dressage final. Badminton matches will see Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand facing Malaysia in the women's doubles quarterfinals, while Dhruv and Tanisha will take on China's Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping in mixed doubles. The shooting team, including Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Rahi Sarnobat, will compete in the 25m pistol precision qualification starting at 6:10 AM, followed by trap shooters at 6:30 AM.
Kurash athletes Sangita and Bharti will also begin their events at 6:30 AM, with India's recurve and compound mixed teams competing in archery from 7:30 AM.
Morning and Afternoon Highlights
During the morning session, Indian sailors will compete at the Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor, while decathletes Tejaswin Shankar and Thowfeeq Noushad will continue their demanding 10-event schedule, including the 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500m.
At 8:20 AM, Bhavani Devi and the women's sabre fencing team will face Indonesia. Indian athletes will also participate in the 400m hurdles heats and long jump qualification rounds, featuring Santosh Kumar Tamilarasan, Yashas Palaksha, Vithya Ramraj, and Anu Raghavan.
In women's singles quarterfinals, badminton stars PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda will face tough opponents, with Sindhu matched against China's Chen Yufei and Hooda up against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. Weightlifter Harjinder Kaur will compete in the women's 69kg final Group A at 10:00 AM.
Gold Medal Contests in Squash
Squash presents two significant gold medal opportunities for India. Abhay Singh will compete against Malaysia's Ng Eain Yow in the men's singles final at 12:30 PM, followed by Anahat Singh facing Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women's singles final at 1:30 PM.
Team Sports and Boxing Quarterfinals
In team sports, the men's volleyball team will take on Vietnam at 12:30 PM, while the women's hockey team faces Singapore in a Pool B match at 3:30 PM. Indian boxers Ankush, Parveen, Sachin, and Narender will also participate in their respective quarterfinal bouts.
Athletics Takes the Spotlight
Athletics will be a highlight in the evening, with Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan Edapilly competing in the women's long jump final at 3:25 PM. Harita Bhadra and Unnati Aiyappa Bolland will participate in the women's 200m final, followed by Animesh Kujur in the men's 200m final. Sarvesh Anil Kushare and Adarsh Ram Jothi Shankar will contest the men's high jump final, while Nandhini Kongan will compete in the women's 100m hurdles final.
Parul Chaudhary and Ankita will then compete in the women's 3000m steeplechase final, concluding the day's athletics events with the women's 4x100m relay team.
A Day Full of Medal Opportunities
With numerous chances for medals in squash, athletics, weightlifting, and various other events, this day promises to be one of the busiest yet for the Indian contingent.