Asian Games 2026: India’s Medal Push Continues as Boxing, Athletics and Cricket Take Centre Stage

NAGOYA, Sept 29: India’s campaign at the 2026 Asian Games entered another important phase on Tuesday, with athletes competing across boxing, athletics, shooting, surfing, cycling and other disciplines as the Aichi-Nagoya Games moved deeper into their second week.

The Indian contingent had already crossed the 39-medal mark by the end of September 28, collecting four gold, 17 silver and 18 bronze medals. The latest medal-winning performances have come from a broad range of sports, underlining the depth of India’s participation at the continental event.

Boxing remained one of the major areas of focus after Priya Ghanghas and Lovlina Borgohain secured their places in the semifinals on September 28. Both boxers won their quarter-final bouts by unanimous 5-0 decisions. Priya defeated Tajikistan’s Mijgona Samadova in the women’s 60kg category, while Lovlina overcame South Korea’s Seong Suyeon in the women’s 75kg division. Their victories assured India of two additional boxing medals.

Lovlina’s result was particularly significant as it guaranteed her another Asian Games podium finish following her silver medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist maintained control throughout her quarter-final and advanced without needing a split decision.

Priya, meanwhile, continued her run in the lightweight division with another comprehensive victory. Her progress added to a growing Indian boxing presence in the medal rounds.

India’s shooting campaign also produced a notable result on September 28 when Esha Singh captured silver in the women’s 25m pistol event. The 21-year-old Hyderabad shooter entered the final in eighth position after qualifying with 580 points and 22 inner tens.

The final developed into a closely contested battle. Singh survived multiple shoot-offs before reaching the final stages of the competition. She eventually lost the gold-medal shoot-off to China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan, taking silver.

Athletics provided another major highlight, with Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav finishing second and third respectively in the men’s javelin throw. Their double podium came in difficult, rain-affected conditions and continued India’s presence among the leading nations in the event.

Yashvir produced a personal best of 85.72 metres to take silver, while Rohit secured bronze. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage won the gold medal. The result was significant for India because the country’s javelin programme has been closely associated with Neeraj Chopra in recent years, although Chopra was not competing at these Games.

The weather has emerged as one of the biggest factors influencing the Asian Games schedule. Persistent rain disrupted competitions in several disciplines on September 28, including cricket, tennis and surfing. The men’s cricket quarter finals involving India and Afghanistan and Pakistan and Hong Kong were abandoned because of waterlogged playing conditions.

With no opportunity to complete the matches, India and Pakistan advanced to the semifinals under the tournament’s ranking based rule. The decision revived memories of the previous Asian Games, where weather had also influenced Afghanistan’s cricket campaign.

For India, the result meant a place in the last four without having to complete the scheduled quarter-final against Afghanistan. The team’s next stage will therefore be played against another semifinalist as the competition moves towards its medal rounds.

The rain also affected tennis. Matches were delayed and venues and court allocations had to be adjusted as organisers attempted to manage the backlog. Filipino top seed Alex Eala was among the players affected by the disrupted schedule.

Surfing faced similar difficulties. Poor wave conditions forced organisers to suspend parts of the programme, although India’s Kishore Kumar Anbarasu managed to complete his heat and advance to the quarter-finals.

Tuesday’s schedule remained packed despite the interruptions. India had athletes competing in surfing, shooting, boxing, athletics and cycling, with several medal opportunities spread throughout the day.

In boxing, Parveen in the women’s 65kg category, Ankush in the men’s 80kg division and Narender in the men’s +90kg class were scheduled to fight for places in the finals. Their results could further add to India’s medal tally.

Athletics was also set to command attention, with Gulveer Singh and Avinash Sable among the Indian runners scheduled to compete in the men’s 5000m. Pole vault and high jump events also featured Indian athletes, while relay teams were scheduled to compete during the evening programme.

The track cycling programme provided another avenue for India, with team sprint and team pursuit events included in the day’s schedule.

The continental championship is also testing athletes’ ability to cope with rapidly changing conditions. Rain has already forced organisers to rearrange several events, while a typhoon affecting parts of Japan raised concerns about further disruption. The Asian Games are scheduled to continue until October 4.

India’s campaign is therefore entering a phase in which performances in the knockout stages and medal events will determine the final shape of its Games campaign. With boxing contenders progressing, shooters adding podium finishes and athletics producing medals in demanding conditions, several Indian athletes remain in contention as competition continues in Aichi-Nagoya.