Indian athletes target podium finishes across multiple sports today
Indian athletes are hunting for more podium finishes on the second day of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Following an encouraging start with two silver medals in shooting on Sunday, the contingent is relying on its shooters, mixed martial artists, and team sports to increase the overall tally. Historically, the early days of these continental multisport events set the momentum for a nation's final standing.
Himanshu Dhillon, Parth Mane, and Rudrankksh Patil are preparing to showcase their skills in the men's 10m air rifle competition. They will participate in the qualification round, which simultaneously serves as the team event final scheduled for 6:15 a.m. IST. If they qualify, these marksmen will proceed to the individual final at 9 a.m.
Skeet specialists also begin their campaigns today. Mairaj Khan, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, and Bhavtegh Singh Gill will represent the country in the men's individual and team events starting at 6:30 a.m. At the same time, Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, and Maheshwari Chauhan will step up for the women's skeet competition.
Mixed martial artist Suchika Tariyal faces Teo Hui Hoon from Singapore in the women's traditional 60kg semifinal at 8 a.m. Suchika guaranteed herself a medal by defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarterfinals. Winning this upcoming bout will secure her a spot in the gold medal match.
In wushu, Nyeman Wangsu competes in the women's Changquan final at 5:30 a.m. Later in the afternoon, Roshbina Devi takes on Most Khatun in the women's 60kg Sanda round of 16 at 3:15 p.m., and Aryan fights Shahzada Safi in the men's 56kg round of 16 at 3:50 p.m. Boxer Sumit is scheduled to fight Bunjong Sinsiri in the men's 70kg round of 32 at 2:45 p.m.
Indian women's hockey players will play against Indonesia in their second Pool B match at 9:30 a.m. They enter this game with high confidence after dominating Uzbekistan with a 19-0 victory.
Kabaddi action kicks off with the men's team facing Japan in Group A at 9:45 a.m. Meanwhile, the women's kabaddi team plays Bangladesh at 4:15 p.m. Table tennis fans will witness two intense matchups against Pakistan. The women's team competes in their Group F fixture at 6:15 a.m., followed by the men's team in their respective Group F match at 3:30 p.m.
Other events feature Indian representation in swimming, badminton, and soft tennis. Rishabh Das and Srihari Nataraj swim in the men's 50m backstroke heats at 6:32 a.m. Mani Akash and Gitesh Shah will dive into the pool for the men's 50m freestyle heats at 6:46 a.m. and 6:50 a.m., respectively. Soon after, Dhanush Suresh will compete in the men's 100m breaststroke heats at 7:06 a.m.
Badminton players are also getting ready for intense rallies, as the men's team squares off against Bangladesh in their opening round at 11:30 a.m. Soft tennis pair Aadhya Tiwari and Jay Meena have a busy morning, starting with a mixed doubles Group B match against Cambodia's Viva Chao and Chanroseka Khun at 5:30 a.m., followed by clashes against Mongolia and South Korea. India currently sits at 10th in the medal standings, while China leads the table with 20 medals. Host nation Japan holds second place.
