NAGOYA, SEP 23 (IANS): India’s campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 witnessed historic breakthroughs and emotional triumphs across disciplines, with medals in weightlifting, soft tennis, and shooting adding to the nation’s tally. The overall standings saw India climb steadily, reaching 10 medals (1 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze) by Wednesday.
Mirabai wins maiden silver in weightlifting
Indian weightlifting icon Mirabai Chanu finally conquered the elusive Asian Games podium, clinching silver in the women’s 49kg category. At 32, Chanu lifted a combined 198kg (87kg snatch, 111kg clean & jerk) to secure India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleshwari’s silver in 1998.
North Korea’s Ri Song-gum, a two-time Asian Games and world champion, took gold with a commanding 210kg total, while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri settled for bronze at 191kg.
This medal completed Chanu’s collection across the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games, making her only the second Indian lifter after Malleshwari to medal at all major international events, including the World Championships.
Her journey to this silver was marked by setbacks: a ninth-place finish at the 2014 Games, injury-forced absence in 2018, and a heartbreaking fourth in Hangzhou 2023. Returning to Japan, where she won her Olympic silver, Chanu redeemed herself with a performance that ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal.
Chanu’s resilience—from failing to register a lift at Rio 2016 to winning silver at Tokyo 2020—cements her legacy as one of India’s greatest sporting icons.
Jay Meena bags historic bronze in soft tennis
India scripted history in soft tennis as Jay Meena clinched the nation’s first-ever medal in the discipline, a bronze in men’s singles. Despite losing 2-4 in the semifinal to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka, Meena’s journey captured hearts.
His quarter-final comeback against Sherwin Nuguit of the Philippines was remarkable—trailing 3-5, he clawed back to win four consecutive points, sealing a 4-3 victory.
Meena’s rise is a story of chance and persistence. Initially aspiring to be a cricketer, he stumbled upon soft tennis at school in Dewas, starting as a ball boy before taking up the sport. By 14, he was competing internationally in Japan, the sport’s birthplace.
His career highlights include gold at the 36th National Games (2022), becoming National Champion in 2025, and winning India’s first-ever medal at the World Soft Tennis Championships (2024) in mixed doubles. In 2025, he added four medals at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships, becoming the first Indian to medal at the continental level.
Now, in his third Asian Games appearance, Meena’s bronze marks a watershed moment for Indian soft tennis, inspiring a new generation in a sport where India had never before reached the podium.
India win men’s skeet team bronze
India’s shooters continued their strong showing as Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, and Bhavtegh Singh clinched bronze in the men’s skeet team event with a score of 346. Qatar took gold, Kuwait silver.
Anantjeet also qualified for the individual final with 119/125, while Mairaj (116) and Bhavtegh (111) narrowly missed out.
This medal added to India’s growing shooting tally, which already included silvers in the women’s 10m air rifle team (Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod) and Elavenil’s individual silver. The men’s 10m air rifle team (Himanshu Dhillon, Rundrakksh Patil) also secured silver, with Himanshu and Rundrakksh adding individual silver and bronze.
Earlier, the women’s skeet team (Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Razia Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan) won bronze, while Manu Bhaker narrowly missed a medal in the women’s 10m air pistol, finishing fifth.
With the men’s skeet bronze, India’s shooting tally rose to seven medals (4 silver, 3 bronze), underscoring the nation’s depth in the sport.
India win women’s skeet team bronze
India’s women shooters added another medal as Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Razia Dhillon, and Maheshwari Chauhan clinched bronze in the women’s skeet team event. Their combined score of 331 placed them behind China (gold, 347) and Kazakhstan (silver, 336).
The trio’s performance capped three days of qualification rounds, showcasing consistency and composure.
Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker qualified for the 10m air pistol final with a score of 579-20x but missed out on a team medal by a narrow margin, as India fell short of bronze by just two inner-10s against Vietnam.
This bronze lifted India’s shooting tally to six medals (4 silver, 2 bronze) before the men’s skeet team added another bronze later in the day.
At Hangzhou 2023, India had claimed a record 22 medals in shooting (7 gold, 9 silver, 6 bronze). While the current tally is more modest, India’s shooters remain competitive, with the nation standing eighth overall (1 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze) in Nagoya.