In a remarkable showing at the 2026 , Indian paddlers Manush Shah and Diya Chitale earned a bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event.
The competition took place at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya on September 25.
The Indian pair reached the semifinals after defeating four-time world medalist and world number four, Wong Chun and Du Ho, with a score of 3-1 in the quarterfinals. However, they faced a challenging match against the reigning champions, Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin, known as the “Sha-Tou” duo. The semifinal ended in a 0-4 defeat for Shah and Chitale.
In the first game, the Indian duo put up a strong fight but ultimately lost 8-11. The second game saw the Chinese pair dominate, winning 5-11. The third game started poorly for Shah and Chitale as they fell behind 0-5. Despite a valiant effort to recover, they lost that game as well, 8-11. In the fourth and final game, they struggled to find their rhythm, succumbing to a score of 2-11.
Despite the loss, their achievement marks them as the second Indian mixed doubles pair to win a medal at the Asian Games, following the success of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra. Earlier in the tournament, other Indian teams, including Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in men’s doubles, as well as the women’s doubles team of Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya, faced early exits after losses in the third round.
The tournament continues to showcase the competitive spirit of Indian athletes, with Shah and Chitale’s bronze adding to the nation’s growing tally of achievements in the games.