Shaili Singh looked set to win a medal for much of the women’s long jump final, but China’s Tan Mengyi produced a decisive final attempt to push the Indian out of the podium places.
India’s Shaili Singh came agonisingly close to a medal in the women’s long jump final at the Asian Games 2026, only to see her hopes disappear on the final attempt.
Shaili was sitting in the bronze-medal position after five rounds with a best effort of 6.42m. However, China’s Tan Mengyi delivered when it mattered most, producing a 6.46m jump with her final attempt to move ahead of the Indian and claim bronze.
Shaili was consequently pushed down to fourth, while compatriot Ancy Sojan Edappilly won silver with a best jump of 6.53m.
How Shaili Singh lost the bronze medal
The long jump final allows each athlete six attempts, with the best valid jump determining their final position.
Shaili’s 6.42m effort had been enough to put her in third place after five rounds. With only the final round remaining, she was therefore in a strong position to secure a podium finish.
But the medal battle changed with Tan’s last jump.
The Chinese athlete had been behind Shaili before the final round, but produced a 6.46m effort to surpass the Indian’s 6.42m. The four-centimetre improvement was enough to lift Tan into third and push Shaili into fourth.
Shaili was unable to respond with a better mark in her final attempt, leaving her just 4cm short of the bronze-medal position.
Shaili Singh’s best jump came in the fifth round
Shaili’s best effort of 6.42m came in the fifth round, putting her firmly in medal contention heading into the final attempt.
However, unlike Tan, she could not improve her distance in the sixth and final round. In a competition decided by extremely small margins, that meant the Indian lost her place on the podium despite holding bronze after five rounds.
The result was particularly frustrating given how close the contest remained between the athletes behind gold medallist Yingying Huang and silver medallist Ancy.
Ancy Sojan also denied gold in final round
There was a similar late twist at the top of the standings.
Ancy had moved into first place with a 6.53m effort in her fifth attempt and appeared to be on course for gold. However, Huang responded with a 6.55m jump in the final round to overtake the Indian by just two centimetres.
Ancy’s final effort measured 6.49m, leaving her with silver.
The two late changes meant India finished with one silver medal from the women’s long jump, while Shaili narrowly missed out on a second podium finish.