Asian Games 2026 Highlights Day 8: Kabaddi teams seal double gold as India win 7 medals

Jadumani Singh’s Asian Games campaign comes to an end after a split decision defeat to the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam in the men’s 55kg Round of 16. After a cagey start, both boxers traded freely in a tiring final round, but Paalam’s advantage in the opening two rounds proved decisive as he won 3-0.

Ayush Shetty cruised past Makhsut Tajibullayev of Kazakhstan 21-7, 21-7 in 10 just 21 minutes. Easy win against a player who is ranked 1052 in the world. The world No.20 Indian faces a tough Round of 16 next against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, who has a 2-1 record against the Indian.

Ayush Shetty has made a strong start, dominating the opening game 21-11 against Uzbekistan’s Makhsut Tajibullayev. The Indian shuttler looks sharp on court, delivering an impressive response after Lakshya Sen’s earlier exit from the men’s singles event.

India are holding a 23-18 lead in the women’s kabaddi final as the contest enters a crucial phase. The Indian team has built a five-point advantage and will look to maintain its composure in the closing stages to secure the gold medal.

No individual medal for India in women's 50m 3P, with Tilottama Sen bowing out in fourth place, while Vidarsa Vinod finishes fifth. It was the 9.4 shot of Tilottama which denied her podium finish.

Unnati Hooda beats Wong Ling Ching of Malaysia 21-14, 20-22, 21-19 in what was the first match between the two. She entered the Round of 16, where she will face Indonesian world No.6 Putri Kusuma Wardani, against whom the Indian lost the only match they played at the 2025 Hylo Open.

The lead changes after the prone round with China's Liyuan Zhang getting to top followed by Korea's Kim Jieun. Kazakhstan's Arina has slid to third. Sen maintains her fifth position while Vidarsa drops to seventh. Standing round up next.

India's Tilottama Sen is fifth after the Kneeling round and Vidarsa Vinod is sixth. The round goes to Kazakhstan's Arina Malinovskaya. Prone round underway. The 50m 3 Positions final comprises of 35 shots to be fired in 22 minutes. Ten shots each are fired in kneeling and prone positions, while 15 are fired in a standing position. The Standing section comprises two series of five shots each, followed by a single-shot elimination for the next five shots.

The women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final is underway, with India’s Vidarsa Vinod and Tilottama Sen in action. Both shooters are currently going through their sighting shots in the kneeling position, with Tilottama entering the final as the third qualifier and Vidarsa sixth.

Manush Shah’s men’s singles campaign comes to an end after a 0-4 defeat to China’s Lin Shidong. The Indian was beaten 4-11, 4-11 in the opening two games but fought back in the third, only to lose 9-11. Manush then appeared set to take the fourth after opening up a 10-5 lead, but Lin produced seven points in a row to seal the match 12-10.

A heartbreaking finish for Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar as they lose the decider 10-11 against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi. With the game tied at 10-10, a mistake from Chinappa handed Hong Kong the decisive point, ending India’s run after a thrilling semifinal. Bronze for India in mixed doubles!

Finally, some positive for India in badminton! After Satwik-Chirag's shocking exit last evening and Lakshya Sen's in men's singles today, Unnati offers a glimmer of hope to India. She takes the first game against Malaysia's Ling Ching Wong 21-13. Can she maintain the momentum?

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar have bounced back brilliantly, winning the second game 11-2 against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi. The Indian pair level the semifinal and force a decider.

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar have lost a closely fought opening game 10-11 against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi in the mixed doubles semifinal. India were right in the contest but could not close it out.

Tejaswin Shankar finishes the shot put with a best effort of 13.16m, earning 677 points and taking his overall tally to 2,484. He is third in the decathlon, just four points behind Japan’s Yuma Maruyama and 40 behind leader Chen Xinghua of China.

Animesh Kujur has made a strong start in the men’s 200m, winning his heat in 21.10 seconds. The Indian sprinter comfortably books his place in the semifinal.

The mixed doubles squash semifinal is underway, with Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar facing Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi. The contest is tightly poised at 6-6 in the opening game.

A bright start for India in archery as Chikitha Taniparthi topped the women’s compound qualification with 705 out of 720 to become the top seed. Jyothi Surekha Vennam finished 13th with 699, while Prithika Pradeep was 23rd with 695. In men’s recurve, Dhiraj Bommadevara topped qualifying with a Games record 698, also setting a new national record. Neeraj Chauhan finished 20th and Yashdeep 25th. India will enter the men’s team knockout as the third seeds, while Dhiraj is the top seed in the individual event.

India’s men’s sabre team bowed out in the quarterfinal after a 25-45 defeat to defending champions South Korea. Karan Singh, GN Kumaresan and Vishal Thapar struggled to match the Koreans’ intensity as their Asian Games campaign came to an end.

At 18, Tilottama Sen has already experienced the microcosm of an athlete’s life. Having missed the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games after finishing third in the selection trials, she bounced back with silver at the Asian Championships that year, securing a 10m air rifle quota for the Paris Olympics. She missed out on Paris too, despite having won the quota (it belongs to the country). (Know more about the silver medalist here)

Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa Vinod and Tilottama Sen have secured a silver medal for India in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event, delivering a strong performance to finish on the podium.

Tejaswin Shankar has moved into second place in the decathlon shot put standings after registering a 13.16m throw on his first attempt. He will need to maintain his momentum in the remaining events as he continues his push for a podium finish. (Know more about Tejaswin here)

India will have two shooters in the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions, with Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod securing qualification in third and sixth place, respectively. Tilottama finished with 590 points after scoring 97 and 98 in the standing series, trailing the two Chinese shooters on 594 and 591. Vidarsa produced two excellent 98s in standing to finish on 588, making a strong recovery after scoring 193 in kneeling.

Esports action is underway for India on Day 8, with Paritosh taking on South Korea’s Dongshin Kang in the quarterfinal of the Puyo Puyo Champions event. The Indian will be looking to secure a place in the semifinals.

The Indian trio have produced an impressive showing in the prone stage of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions qualification. Ashi Chouksey and Vidarsa Vinod both posted 199, while Tilottama Sen finished the stage with 198.

Ashi is currently second overall, with the X count separating her from Tilottama, while Vidarsa has surged into 12th after starting the stage in the mid-20s. The shooters now move into the crucial standing series, which will decide the individual finalists and contribute to the team medal standings. India are currently second behind China.