Indian boxer Jadumani Singh progressed to the next round of the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa by a unanimous 5-0 decision on Tuesday.
Jadumani adopted a measured approach at the start of the bout, with Thapa attempting multiple punches, many of which did not land cleanly. Both fighters exchanged aggressive punches during the opening round, which was closely contested. A solid left hook from Thapa landed on Jadumani, but four judges scored the round 4-1 in favour of the Indian boxer.
In the second round, Jadumani intensified his attack, landing several solid punches while Thapa appeared to struggle under increasing pressure. Signs of fatigue became evident for the Nepalese boxer as Jadumani continued to find his target effectively, winning the round 4-1 to build a strong lead going into the final round.
Maintaining pressure in the third round, Jadumani landed a powerful left hook that resulted in a standing count against Thapa. Remaining composed, the Indian boxer avoided Thapa’s major punches and landed further solid counters, securing a unanimous 5-0 victory to advance to the pre-quarterfinal stage.
Elsewhere at the Games, India won its first gold medal as the women’s cricket team beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. In boxing, Sakshi Chaudhary defeated Aira Villegas of the Philippines in the women’s 51kg Round of 32, joining Jadumani Singh who advanced to the Round of 16.
In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final. After the second day of men’s skeet qualification, Anantjeet Singh Naruka ranked second, Mairaj Khan 23rd, and Bhavtegh Singh Gill 35th. In women’s skeet, Raiza Dhillon was fifth, Parinaaz Dhaliwal ninth, and Maheshwari Chauhan 16th.
India’s table tennis women’s team defeated Thailand 3-2 in the Round of 16 but the men’s team lost 0-3 to the Republic of Korea in Round 1. In fencing, Taniksha Khatri lost in the women’s individual epee quarterfinal, Mitva Chaudhari exited in the Round of 16, and Hemash Singh Sanasam and Sachin were defeated in the Round of 32 in men’s individual foil.
In badminton, India was defeated 3-1 by Japan in the women’s team quarterfinal. In soft tennis, Aryan Thakur recorded a 4-0 win over Mongolia’s Bold-erdene Altangerel but later lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Po-Yi. Aadhya Tiwari beat Pakistan’s Kainaat Shallwani but did not advance to the knockouts, while Jay Meena defeated Pakistan’s Hussain Arain 4-0.
In swimming, Aryan Nehra finished fourth in the men’s 1500m freestyle final B. The men’s 4x100m medley relay team, comprising Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston, and Dhanush Suresh, qualified for the final, finishing seventh overall in the heats.
India’s men’s kabaddi team secured a 63-31 victory over South Korea in Group A. However, the sepaktakraw team lost 3-0 to Malaysia in men’s Team Regu Group B. In karate, Alisha Choudhary was defeated 1-6 by Indonesia’s Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani in the women’s Kumite -55kg Round of 16.
In equestrian dressage, Ashish Limaye with horse Willy Be Dun finished 13th, Arjan Nagra with Cooley Goodwood 23rd, and Fouaad Mirza with Camouflage 38 placed 26th. In esports, India’s Shakeel Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan in eFootball Group F.