Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 26 (ANI): India enjoyed a productive day at the Asian Games 2026, adding multiple medals across kabaddi, athletics, shooting and squash, while securing berths in two squash singles finals.
India have so far won 30 medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, comprising four gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals.
India completed a golden sweep in kabaddi, with both the men's and women's teams defeating Iran in their respective finals.
The men's team produced a 40-34 victory, while the women's side edged past Iran 37-34 to successfully defend their title.
With the win, India retain their Asian Games women's kabaddi crown, extending their gold medal streak and closing out the campaign with the country's third gold of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games.
While in the Men's final, Iran pushed higher up the mat in a final attempt to turn the contest around, Aslam Inamdar responded with two valuable points to keep India firmly in control.
As the final seconds ticked away, Iran could find no way back, with India completing a 40-34 victory to secure the gold medal and finish their Asian Games campaign unbeaten.
In athletics, Tajinderpal Singh Toor secured the silver medal in the men's shot put, while Karanveer Singh finished 10th.
Toor finished behind Iran's Mohammadreza Tayebise, who claimed the gold medal with a Games Record throw of 20.81 metres. The silver adds to Toor's impressive Asian Games record. He had won gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions before finishing second in Aichi-Nagoya.
Sawan Barwal added another silver for India in the men's marathon, clocking a national record time of 2:11:37.
Barwal created history at the Asian Games 2026 by winning a silver medal in the men’s marathon event, ending India’s 44-year wait for a podium finish in the discipline.
Barwal clocked 2:11:37 to register a personal best and set a new national record in the men’s marathon final. He finished behind Japan’s Yamashita, who claimed the gold medal after pulling ahead in the closing stages of the race.
India also secured a team silver in the women's 50m rifle 3P event, with Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod combining to finish second. The Indian trio finished second with a combined score of 1763-90x, behind gold medallists China.
Tilottama was India's highest scorer with 590 points, followed by Vidarsa with 588 and Ashi with 585. Tilottama and Vidarsa also qualified for the women's 50m rifle 3 positions individual final.
Tilottama finished third in qualification with 590 points, while Vidarsa secured sixth place with 588. Ashi did not make the individual final.
In the women's 400m final, Prachi claimed the bronze medal; Bahrain's Salma Naser claimed the gold medal with a Games Record time of 49.20 seconds, while Iran's Zahra Zarei Manoujan took silver after clocking 52.38 seconds. India's Kiran finished fifth in 53.41 seconds.
Squash delivered mixed results, with Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar securing a bronze medal in mixed doubles after losing their semifinal to Hong Kong's Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi.
However, India's singles campaign continued to flourish. Anahat Singh defeated Japan's Satomi Watanabe 3-2 in the women's singles semifinal to book her place in the final, while Abhay Singh swept aside Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan 3-0 in the men's singles semifinal to also advance to the gold-medal clash.
Anahat fought back from 0-2 down to beat the world No. 6 Japanese player 3-2 in a thrilling semifinal contest. The Indian, ranked 17th in the world, lost the opening two games narrowly, going down 9-11, 11-13 as Watanabe used her variations, pace changes and sharp angles effectively to put Anahat under pressure.
With her back against the wall, Anahat showed remarkable composure in the third game. After trailing 8-10 and saving two game points, she fought back to win the game 12-10 and kept herself alive in the contest.
The momentum then shifted completely in Anahat's favour as she dominated the fourth game, winning it 11-6 to level the match at 2-2 and force a deciding game.
In the decider, Anahat continued her attacking play and outplayed Watanabe to seal the game 11-3, completing a memorable comeback victory. With the win, Anahat advanced to the women's singles final, where she will compete for the gold medal.
In men's singles, Abhay Singh booked his place in the men's singles final after defeating Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in straight games in the semifinal.
Abhay produced a dominant display to win 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 and sealed his spot in the gold medal match. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: India's medal tally reaches 30 after kabaddi gold sweep, athletics and shooting silvers on Day 7
