Neeru Dhanda, women’s relay gold lead India’s eight-medal haul
India shines on Day 10 of the 2026 Asian Games with Neeru Dhanda winning shooting gold and the women's 4x400m relay team clinching athletics gold.
India celebrated a monumental Day 10 at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as the nation secured eight medals in a single day. The highlights of the day included a historic shooting gold by Neeru Dhanda and a landmark athletics victory by the women’s 4x400m relay team, marking India's first athletics gold of the tournament.
Historic Gold for Neeru Dhanda in Shooting
Shooter Neeru Dhanda etched her name into the history books by becoming the first Indian woman to claim an individual medal in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games. Displaying exceptional precision, she secured the gold medal with a final score of 28/30.
The podium saw China's Sun Yunong take the silver with 26/30, while Hajar Abdulmalik from the UAE earned the bronze with 21/25. Dhanda's success was not limited to the individual event; she also contributed to a silver medal in the women’s trap team event alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer, with the trio scoring a total of 328 points.
Athletics Dominance: Women's Relay Shines
The Indian women's 4x400m relay team delivered a performance for the ages, clinching the country's first athletics gold medal at these Games. The powerhouse quartet of Kiran Pahal, Poovamma MR, Prachi Choudhary, and Vithya Ramraj clocked a time of 3:29.69 to finish ahead of Bahrain (silver) and China (bronze).
The athletics contingent continued to add to the medal tally throughout the day:
- Gulveer Singh: Secured a bronze medal in the men’s 5000m final with a time of 13:32.75.
- Mixed 4x100m Relay: The team of Gurindervir Singh, Sneha Sathyanarayan, Animesh Kujur, and Harita Bhadra earned bronze with a time of 41.06 seconds.
- Pooja: Claimed bronze in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.84m.
- Men’s 4x400m Relay: Dharmveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil, Jay Kumar, and Vishal Thennarasu took home the bronze, clocking 3:01.61.
Boxing and Other Sporting Successes
In the boxing ring, Narender Berwal secured his second consecutive Asian Games bronze medal in the men’s +90kg category. While he fell short in the semifinals against Kazakhstan's Aibek Oralbay, the Indian camp celebrated as Parveen and Ankush Panghal both advanced to their respective gold medal bouts after winning their semifinal matches.
Record-Breaking Efforts and Team Victories
While he did not reach the podium, pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena made headlines by setting a new national record. The 22-year-old cleared 5.50m, surpassing his previous personal best and becoming the highest-clearing Indian pole vaulter in history, ultimately finishing seventh in a highly competitive final.
India's momentum extended across other disciplines on Tuesday:
- Volleyball: The men’s team secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Qatar.
- Squash: The women’s team moved into the quarterfinals after a dominant 3-0 win against Iran.
- Tennis: Sumit Nagal, Dhakshineswar Suresh, and the doubles pair of Anirudh Chandrasekar and N Sriram Balaji all progressed in their tournaments.