23 September 2026 (Navroze Bureau) : India has a packed programme at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday, September 23, with Manu Bhaker and Mirabai Chanu among the biggest names in action. Medal opportunities are spread across shooting, weightlifting, badminton, hockey, kabaddi, fencing, wushu and several other sports.
Manu Bhaker in 10m Air Pistol
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker competed in the women’s 10m air pistol event, alongside Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh.
Bhaker qualified for the individual final in third place with a score of 579-20x. However, she eventually finished fifth with 181.1 points, missing out on a medal after being eliminated following the 18th shot.
South Korea’s Choo Gaeun won the gold medal with an Asian Games record of 246.3, while China’s Shen Yiyao and Jiang Ranxin took silver and bronze respectively.
Mirabai Chanu Chases Elusive Asian Games Medal
Weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu is competing in the women’s 49kg final, with the event scheduled for 10am IST.
The Asian Games medal is one of the major honours missing from her collection. Chanu finished ninth at the 2014 Asian Games, missed the 2018 edition because of injury and finished fourth at Hangzhou 2023 after suffering an injury during the clean and jerk.
She entered the competition after winning her third Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, where she lifted 190kg overall, including 85kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk.
India vs China in Badminton Semifinal
India’s men’s badminton team faces China in the semifinal at 11:30am IST.
India has already secured a medal by reaching the last four, and the team includes leading players such as Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Ayush Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth.
Women’s Hockey Against Thailand
India’s women’s hockey team is scheduled to face Thailand at 11:30am IST in a Pool B match.
The hockey campaign is another opportunity for India to strengthen its position in the group stage as the tournament progresses.
Gyaneshwari Yadav in Weightlifting
Another Indian weightlifting medal opportunity comes at 1:30pm IST, when Gyaneshwari Yadav competes in the women’s 53kg final.
Her event follows Mirabai Chanu’s 49kg competition and gives India another chance for a podium finish in weightlifting.
Wushu Medal Opportunity
Roshibina Devi is scheduled to compete in the women’s Sanda 60kg semifinal at 2:30pm IST against Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas.
A place in the final would put Roshibina in contention for a higher medal, with the event forming one of India’s key afternoon engagements.
Kabaddi Double-Header
India also has important kabaddi fixtures.
The women’s team faces Iran at 8:30am, while the men’s team plays Bangladesh at 9:45am in their respective Group A matches. India entered the day with strong momentum in kabaddi.
Shooting Provides More Medal Chances
Apart from the air-pistol events, Indian shooters are also involved in the men’s and women’s skeet competitions.
The women’s skeet team of Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan had already secured a bronze medal, while individual finals provide further opportunities. Anantjeet Singh Naruka is also among India’s contenders in men’s skeet.
Jay Meena Creates History
Soft tennis player Jay Meena has already secured India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport by reaching the men’s singles semifinal.
He subsequently lost the semifinal to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka, finishing with a historic bronze medal for India.
Packed Day Across Sports
India’s September 23 programme also includes rowing, fencing, swimming, canoe sprint, squash, boxing, equestrian events and esports.
Among the scheduled events are men’s 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle swimming finals, fencing medal bouts and an eFootball final subject to qualification.
Why the Day Matters for India
The September 23 programme combines established Olympic stars with athletes seeking breakthroughs at the continental level.
While Manu Bhaker’s pistol campaign has ended without a medal, Mirabai Chanu’s weightlifting final, India’s badminton semifinal and other medal events remain central to the country’s campaign.