21 September 2026 (Navroze Bureau) : India added two more medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with Suchika Tariyal winning the country’s first-ever medal in mixed martial arts and the Indian men’s 10m air rifle team securing silver.
Suchika Tariyal Makes Asian Games History
Suchika Tariyal secured a bronze medal in the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg category, giving India its first-ever Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts.
Tariyal reached the semifinals after defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal. She then lost her semifinal to Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo 0-2 in an extra round, settling for bronze.
MMA is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya, making Tariyal’s podium finish a landmark achievement for Indian combat sports.
36-Year-Old Writes New Chapter
At 36, Tariyal has added another major achievement to a career that has included appearances in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.
Her performance in Aichi-Nagoya has brought attention to an athlete who has competed across multiple combat disciplines at the international level.
Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team Wins Silver
India also claimed silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event.
The trio of Rudrankksh Patil, Parth Mane and Himanshu Dhillon finished with a combined score of 1890.1, behind China’s gold-medal-winning score of 1899.0. South Korea took bronze with 1841.4.
Rudrankksh and Himanshu Reach Individual Final
The Indian shooting campaign continued in the individual event.
Rudrankksh Patil finished third in qualification, while Himanshu Dhillon was seventh, with both progressing to the men’s 10m air rifle individual final. Parth Mane finished 11th and missed qualification for the individual final.
India’s Shooting Medal Run Continues
The men’s team silver added to India’s strong opening in shooting.
Earlier, Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod had won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, while Elavenil added another silver in the individual competition.
India’s Medal Tally Gets Another Boost
Suchika’s bronze and the men’s shooting silver added to India’s medal haul at the continental event.
The results underline the breadth of India’s early medal campaign, with shooting and MMA producing historic results while athletes from hockey, cricket, badminton, table tennis and other sports continue their campaigns.
Focus Shifts to More Medal Events
India has several more medal opportunities as the Asian Games progress, including individual shooting finals and events in hockey, kabaddi, badminton, boxing and other disciplines.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games continue until October 4, with Indian athletes competing across multiple sports.
A Historic MMA Milestone
For Indian sport, Suchika’s achievement has particular significance because MMA is a new addition to the Asian Games programme.
Her bronze establishes India’s first medal in the discipline at the Games and gives Indian MMA a historic starting point on the continental stage.