Sunil Kumar misses Asian Games 2026 wrestling final
Sunil Kumar misses the Greco-Roman 87kg final at Asian Games 2026 but stays in contention for bronze after a tough loss to Japan.
Indian wrestler Sunil Kumar faced a setback in his quest for gold at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday. Competing in the men's Greco-Roman 87kg semifinal, Kumar was unable to overcome Japan's Taizo Yoshida, who secured a decisive victory to advance to the final.
Wrestling: A fight for bronze remains
The match saw Yoshida demonstrate technical superiority, defeating the Indian athlete with an 11-0 scoreline. Despite the loss in the semifinal, Sunil Kumar's journey at the games is not over. He will now move into the bronze medal bout, where he will face a contender from the repechage to fight for a spot on the podium.
Kumar had entered the semifinals with significant momentum. In his opening bout of the tournament, he delivered a commanding performance against Tajikistan's Muhammad Sultonzoda. He won that encounter 9-0 through technical superiority, keeping his opponent off the scoreboard entirely.
In other wrestling news, Nisha Dahiya's campaign met an early end in the women's freestyle 68kg category. She was eliminated in the Round of 16 following a defeat against North Korea's Pak Sol Gum.
Archery: Golden glory for Indian women
It was a moment of triumph for India in archery as the women's compound team clinched the gold medal. The trio of Jyothi Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi, and Prithika Pradeep displayed exceptional skill to defeat China with a score of 238-234.
Their path to the gold was equally impressive, having narrowly defeated South Korea 234-233 in a high-stakes semifinal. The success continued in the compound mixed team event, where Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav secured their place in the final after a nail-biting 156-155 victory over Thailand.
Multi-sport updates: Squash, Judo, and more
India's medal tally continued to grow across various disciplines:
- Squash: The Indian women's team has guaranteed themselves a medal after a 2-0 victory over Singapore in the quarterfinals. Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh were the standout performers, winning their individual singles matches to propel the team forward.
- Judo: Asmita Dey advanced to the next stage in the women's 48kg category after defeating Vietnam's Ha Ngoc Chi via an ippon in the Round of 16.
- Sepaktakraw: The Indian men's team secured a 2-0 win against Laos in the quadrant group stage, though the women's team faced a 0-2 loss to Vietnam in Group A.
- Canoe Slalom: Pradhyumna Singh Rathod has successfully qualified for the men's kayak single final.
Cycling and Sprinting results
The cycling events saw mixed fortunes for the Indian contingent. Keerthy Rangaswamy Chikka showed resilience by advancing to the women's keirin semifinal via the repechage round, while Sarita Kumari was unable to progress. In the men's sprint, Ronaldo Singh and David Beckham finished 15th and 14th respectively during qualification, leading to their elimination in the Round of 16 repechage.