Asian Games 2026: India’s Strong Day 1 Across Sports

India made a strong opening statement at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, beginning Day 1 with two silver medals in shooting and several impressive performances across cricket, hockey, MMA, badminton, table tennis and swimming.

Shooting: Elavenil Leads India’s Medal Charge
Elavenil Valarivan enjoyed a memorable day, winning silver in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle individual event after earlier helping India secure silver in the team event alongside Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod. India’s team finished second in the team competition.

Cricket: India Reach Gold Medal Final
The Indian women’s cricket team stormed into the gold medal match after defeating Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final. India posted 195/4, with Shafali Verma scoring an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls, before bowling Bangladesh out for 81. India will face Sri Lanka in the final.

MMA: Historic Medal Assured
Suchika Tariyal created history by reaching the Women’s Traditional 60kg semi-finals, assuring India of its first Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts.

Hockey: Big Wins for Both Teams
India’s men opened their campaign with a commanding 13-1 victory over Indonesia, while the women’s team began with a 19-0 win over Uzbekistan, underlining India’s strong start in hockey.

Badminton: Women Enter Quarter-finals
India’s women defeated Kazakhstan 3-0 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face hosts Japan.

Table Tennis: Mixed Results
India’s women defeated Indonesia 3-0 and Singapore 3-2. The men’s team beat Indonesia 3-0 but suffered a 0-3 defeat against Iran.

Swimming: Rishabh Das Finishes Sixth
Indian swimmer Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men’s 100m backstroke final with a timing of 54.77 seconds.
With medals secured and strong performances across multiple disciplines, India’s Day 1 campaign has set the stage for further action at the Asian Games 2026.