Asian Games 2026: Ancy Sojan and Tejaswin Shankar Clinch Medals
Ancy Sojan wins long jump silver and Tejaswin Shankar clinches decathlon bronze at the Asian Games 2026. Mohammed Afsal reaches 800m final.
India's track and field contingent celebrated a successful day at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as Ancy Sojan and Tejaswin Shankar secured podium finishes. The Indian athletes showcased exceptional grit, adding silver and bronze to the nation's medal tally.
Sojan Misses Gold by a Hair in Long Jump
In a nail-biting women's long jump final, Ancy Sojan secured the silver medal with a best leap of 6.53m. The Indian star was incredibly close to the top spot, missing out on the gold medal by a mere two centimetres.
China's Huang Yingying dominated the event, taking home the gold with a jump of 6.55m. The competition remained intense as Tan Mengyi of China claimed the bronze with 6.46m. India's Shaili Singh also delivered a strong performance, finishing just outside the medals in fourth place with a best effort of 6.42m.
Tejaswin Shankar Secures Decathlon Bronze
In the grueling decathlon event, Tejaswin Shankar earned a bronze medal, finishing with a formidable total of 7,934 points. While he narrowly missed the silver medal he held from the previous Asian Games, his performance showed significant growth, surpassing his previous tally at the same event.
The podium for the decathlon was completed by Japan's Yuma Maruyama, who took gold with 8,123 points, and China's Chen Xinghua, who secured silver with 8,012 points. Shankar's performance brought him remarkably close to the prestigious 8,000-point milestone he achieved earlier this year.
Afsal Powers into 800m Final
In the men's 800m heats, Mohammed Afsal has kept India's medal hopes alive by qualifying for the final. Afsal finished third in his heat with a time of 1:47.37, narrowly missing automatic qualification by just 0.01 seconds behind Qatar's Hatim Aitoulghazi (1:47.36).
Afsal advanced as one of the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers. In contrast, fellow Indian Krishan Kumar was unable to progress to the final after finishing third in Heat 3 with a time of 1:50.38.