New Delhi: An incident of eve-teasing when she was just 12 changed the course of Suchika Tariyal’s life. What began as a painful experience that prompted her to learn self-defence eventually became the foundation of a remarkable sporting career.
Twenty-four years later, Tariyal has created history by becoming India’s first Asian Games MMA medallist at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
From eve-teasing to self-defence
The incident during her childhood encouraged Tariyal to take up judo. What initially began as a way to protect herself gradually developed into a passion for combat sports.
Over the years, she competed in several disciplines, including judo, kurash, jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. She represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in judo and the 2023 Asian Games in kurash.
Her achievements also include becoming a Jiu-Jitsu world champion in 2024, adding to a career built across different combat disciplines.
Historic Asian Games achievement
Tariyal reached another milestone at the 2026 Asian Games by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg quarter-final.
The victory secured her a place in the semi-finals and guaranteed India its first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA. The sport is making its Asian Games debut at the Aichi-Nagoya edition.
For Tariyal, the journey from a 12-year-old girl affected by eve-teasing to an athlete making history on one of Asia’s biggest sporting stages marks a remarkable transformation.
Her story also highlights how an experience that once left a young girl vulnerable eventually became the beginning of her journey towards strength, discipline and sporting excellence.