India make strong start at Aichi-Nagoya with six medals in first two days

Aichi-Nagoya: India made a strong start to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, collecting six medals in the first two days of competition, with shooting accounting for five and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) producing a landmark bronze through Suchika Tariyal.

The opening day belonged to Elavenil Valarivan, who played a part in both of India’s shooting medals. Elavenil, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event before Elavenil added another silver in the individual competition. She finished behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who set an Asian Games record with 253.0 points, while Elavenil scored 252.4.

India’s shooters continued their medal rush on the second day. Himanshu Dhillon won silver in the men’s 10m air rifle individual event, with Rudrankksh Patil taking bronze. The pair then combined with Parth Mane to secure another silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team competition. That took India’s shooting haul to five medals — three silver and two bronze — in just two days.

The other landmark came from MMA, one of six sports making its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Suchika Tariyal became India’s first Asian Games medallist in the discipline after reaching the semifinals of the women’s traditional 60kg category. She defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal before losing to Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon in the semifinal, with the defeat earning her a bronze medal.

For the 36-year-old Suchika, the medal capped a long sporting journey. A former judoka and jiu-jitsu competitor, she began training in judo at 12 after an incident of eve-teasing prompted her to take up the sport as self-defence. She went on to become an eight-time national judo champion, win Commonwealth and South Asian Games gold in 2019 and represent India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She made her MMA debut in 2017 before returning to the discipline after a seven-year break. She is also a Head Constable with the CISF.

“This medal means a lot to me as me and my coaches have worked very hard to reach here,” Suchika told SAI Media after her quarterfinal. She also credited her family for providing financial and emotional support throughout her career.

Her historic medal, however, came against the backdrop of a controversy involving fellow Indian MMA athlete Varun Sanyal. The 27-year-old, entered in the men’s traditional 77kg category, was ruled medically unfit after experiencing dizziness, cramps and body ache while attempting to cut weight in a sauna at his cruise-ship accommodation.

Sanyal later said he had been given only two weeks’ notice of his selection and had to manage his weight cut largely by himself. He questioned why he had been left without support staff, while acknowledging that attempting the cut alone was “quite foolish” in hindsight. He had also faced accommodation difficulties after arriving in Japan.

Beyond the medals, India enjoyed encouraging starts in several team sports. The women’s hockey team opened with a 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan, while the men defeated Indonesia 13-1. India’s table tennis teams also began with wins, while the badminton squad advanced after defeating Kazakhstan.

In cricket, India’s women reached the final after defeating Bangladesh by 114 runs, assuring themselves of at least a silver medal. Shafali Verma’s century was another early highlight of the campaign.

Thus, after two days, India’s campaign has been driven by precision in the shooting range, historic progress in a debutant combat sport and strong starts across team disciplines — while the Varun Sanyal episode has also raised questions about preparation and athlete support at the Games.

(This article has been written with the help of AI)

Tags : Asian Games, Mixed Martial Arts, Suchika Tariyal, Varun Sanyal, Shooting