India began its Asian Games 2026 campaign with two silver medals in shooting from Elavenil Valarivan (individual and team). Mixed martial artist Suchika Tariyal also secured a medal, taking India’s tally to three assured medals on opening day.
India opened its Asian Games 2026 campaign with two silver medals in shooting, courtesy of Elavenil Valarivan’s individual and team performances, while mixed martial artist Suchika Tariyal confirmed another medal on the opening day of competition in Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday.
Shooting and MMA: India Opens Medal Account
Elavenil first combined with Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to win silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event before adding an individual silver later in the day. She looked firmly on course for gold for much of the individual final, but Japan’s Hinata Taichi held her nerve in the closing stages to claim the top spot.
Suchika, meanwhile, defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the women’s traditional 60kg quarterfinal to assure herself of a medal. She will now look to progress further in the competition and reach the final.
Day 1 Medal Standings
India ended Day 1 in 10th place in the medal standings with two silver medals. China topped the table with 20 medals, including 11 gold, while hosts Japan also collected 20 medals but had six golds to sit second.
Opening Ceremony Recap
The opening ceremony took place on Saturday, with India’s double Olympic medallist from Paris, Manu Bhaker, and Hangzhou Asian Games gold-winning Kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat leading the Indian contingent during the parade.
Team Events Update
Table Tennis
India’s table tennis campaign produced mixed results across the men’s and women’s team events. The men began with a 3-0 victory over Indonesia in Group F but were unable to maintain that form against Iran, going down 0-3 later in the day.
Against Indonesia, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah won their respective matches to give India a clean sweep. Thakkar was pushed to five games by Muhammad Junindra but came through 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9. Shah then defeated Affan Pratama 11-9, 11-9, 12-10 to seal the tie.
India’s men struggled against Iran, with Noshad Alamiyan defeating Manush Shah 11-3, 11-8, 12-10 in the opening match. Benyamin Faraji then beat Manav Thakkar 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 to put Iran 2-0 ahead. Harmeet Desai took on Nima Alamian in the third match and pushed the contest to five games, but the Iranian prevailed 12-10, 13-15, 11-3, 10-12, 11-2 to complete the 3-0 result.
India’s women’s team, meanwhile, began with a 3-0 win over Indonesia before edging Singapore 3-2 in another Group F encounter.
Hockey
In hockey, the Indian women made a commanding start to their campaign, defeating Uzbekistan 19-0 in their Pool B match. The men also began with a win, beating Indonesia 13-1 in Pool A. The women’s team will look to build on the opening result when it takes on Indonesia in its second group match on Monday.
Hockey carries added significance at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with both the men’s and women’s tournaments serving as qualification events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The winners of the two competitions will secure direct qualification for the Games.
Cricket
India’s women’s cricket team also advanced to the gold-medal match after defeating Bangladesh in the semifinal. They will face Sri Lanka in the final, with the latter having beaten Pakistan in the other semifinal.
Badminton
India’s women’s badminton team began its campaign with a 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan in the first round of the team event.
Individual Competitions
Swimming
In swimming, Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men’s 100m backstroke final after qualifying for the medal race. He had finished fifth in the heats, while compatriot Utkarsh Patil placed 12th and did not advance. Benediction Beniston and Akash Mani finished 12th and 23rd, respectively, in the men’s 100m freestyle heats.
Wushu
India’s wushu campaign saw Suraj Singh Mayanglambam finish 11th in the men’s Changquan final. Aparna Dahiya and Vikrant Baliyan, meanwhile, exited the Sanda competitions in the round of 16. Aparna lost to Iran’s Sogand Sinkaeichetan in the women’s 52kg category, while Vikrant was defeated by Iran’s Soheil Mousavi in the men’s 75kg event.
Teqball
In teqball, Quimcy Dsouza went down to Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in the women’s singles bronze-medal match. Dsouza and Mohamed Anas Beg also lost their mixed doubles bronze-medal contest against Vietnam’s Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Ngih Trinh.
Looking Ahead to Day 2
India’s opening day featured both medal-winning performances and early exits, with the contingent now turning its attention to a busy second day.
In shooting, Himanshu Dhillon, Parth Mane and Rudrankksh Patil will compete in the men’s 10m air rifle individual and team events. Suchika will also return to action, seeking a place in the final of the traditional 60kg MMA competition after already confirming a medal.
The Indian kabaddi teams are set to begin their campaigns on Monday, while the table tennis schedule will feature two India-Pakistan encounters.
India will look to add to its medal tally on Monday as the competition gathers pace across shooting, MMA, kabaddi, hockey and table tennis.
India’s Contingent and Olympic Ambitions
India arrived in Japan aiming to build on its performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where it finished fourth in the medal standings with 106 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze.
The Indian contingent features five individual Olympic medallists, although defending javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra withdrew due to an ankle injury. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu leads India’s weightlifting contingent, while Lovlina Borgohain is set to compete in boxing and Aman Sehrawat will represent the country in wrestling.
India’s boxers arrive after a record-breaking Commonwealth Games campaign, where they won 10 medals, including seven gold.
Athletics is expected to be a significant part of India’s campaign, with more than 70 track and field athletes set to compete. Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar and Olympian Sarvesh Kushare are among the athletes to watch, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor will seek to extend his dominance in the shot put after winning the title at the previous two editions.
India will also aim to defend its men’s and women’s titles in cricket and kabaddi, along with the men’s hockey crown. In men’s cricket, Shreyas Iyer will lead the title defence in the T20 competition, with teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also included in the squad.
The Games will provide Indian athletes with opportunities to secure qualification places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics in archery, sailing, squash, surfing and tennis, in addition to the direct qualification on offer in hockey.
In squash, young Anahat Singh returns after contributing to India’s women’s team bronze at Hangzhou 2023. She also won a mixed doubles bronze alongside Abhay Singh and will be among the players expected to feature in India’s campaign.
New Sports and Venues
The Aichi-Nagoya Games have introduced several sports and disciplines, including mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, virtual taekwondo and teqball. Esports and breaking, which made their Asian Games medal debuts in Hangzhou, will also feature.
Competition is spread across Aichi Prefecture and other parts of Japan, with events taking place in cities including Tokyo and Osaka. The Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium is serving as the main arena.
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