Harshita Tomar, Shital Verma Clinch Sailing Bronze
Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma secured a bronze medal in the women's skiff event at the Asian Games 2026 after China's disqualification.
In a dramatic turn of events at the Asian Games 2026, Indian sailors Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma secured a bronze medal in the women’s skiff event on Thursday. The victory came following a significant disqualification, elevating the Indian duo to the podium in the Aichi-Nagoya games.
Late Night Bronze for India
The medal win was decided late in the evening after a grueling series of races. Harshita and Shital initially finished in fourth place following nine races in the opening series, accumulating 24 net points and 28 total points. However, the standings shifted when the Chinese pair, who had originally occupied the third-place spot, was disqualified. This decision moved the Indian duo into the bronze-medal position.
A Successful Day for Indian Sailing
The women's bronze was not the only success for the Indian sailing contingent on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the men's skiff event saw a major breakthrough as Manu Francis and Prince Noble clinched a silver medal. Competing in the 49er class, the duo finished second behind China, with Hong Kong taking the bronze. This marked India's first sailing medal of the ongoing Asian Games.
The performance of Manu and Prince was characterized by consistency, including a race victory during their nine-race campaign to secure the silver.
India's Medal Haul Grows
The bronze medal won by Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma contributed to a highly successful Thursday for India, marking the country's sixth medal of the day. The diverse range of achievements included:
- Sailing: Silver for Manu Francis and Prince Noble (Men's skiff) and Bronze for Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma (Women's skiff).
- Wrestling: Silver for Nitesh Siwach in the men's 97kg Greco-Roman category.
- Squash: Two bronze medals for the women's and men's teams following semifinal losses to Hong Kong and Malaysia.
- Archery: Bronze for T Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru in the men's compound individual event after a victory over Vietnam's Cong Duc Dang.