India’s campaign at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya has gathered momentum after a productive fourth day, with the country adding five medals to its growing tally. Mirabai Chanu finally ended a long wait for an Asian Games medal by winning silver in weightlifting, while Indian shooters, soft tennis player Jay Meena and the men’s badminton team also secured podium finishes.

With four days of competition completed, India has 12 medals — one gold, five silver and six bronze — and is placed 13th in the overall medal standings. The country’s only gold so far came in women’s cricket, where India successfully defended its Asian Games title.

The action is set to continue on Thursday, September 24, with several medal opportunities lined up across rowing, wushu, shooting, canoe sprint, athletics and swimming. Roshibina Devi will be among the biggest Indian medal hopes as she takes on China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the women’s 60kg wushu final.

India’s Asian Games 2026 medal tally

India’s medal count currently stands at:

• Gold: 1

• Silver: 5

• Bronze: 6

• Total: 12

India’s first gold medal came in women’s cricket. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to retain the title won at the previous Asian Games. The victory came after a commanding batting display, followed by an equally emphatic bowling performance.

The medal table remains led by China, which has built a substantial early advantage. Japan and South Korea occupy the next two positions, while several other Asian sporting powers are also ahead of India at this stage.

However, India’s medal campaign has been spread across several disciplines, with shooting making a particularly significant contribution. The latest additions have widened that distribution further.

Mirabai Chanu finally gets her Asian Games medal

The biggest individual story of Day 4 was undoubtedly Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event.

For Chanu, the medal carried significance beyond the colour of the medal itself. After competing at previous Asian Games without finishing on the podium, the Olympic silver medallist finally completed a major gap in her decorated career.

Chanu lifted 198kg in total, registering 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. Her performance was enough to secure second place. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum took gold with a total of 215kg.

The result also ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. The country’s previous medal in the discipline had come in 1998, when Karnam Malleswari won silver in Bangkok.

For Chanu, the achievement adds another major medal to a career that already includes an Olympic silver and a world championship title. Her Asian Games silver was particularly meaningful because it had been one of the few major continental medals missing from her collection.

After years of competing at the highest level, the 2026 Asian Games finally gave Chanu an opportunity to stand on the podium.

Shooting continues to deliver medals for India

Shooting has once again emerged as one of India’s most productive sports at the Asian Games.

On Wednesday, India collected two bronze medals in the skeet team competitions.

The women’s team of Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan and Parinaaz Dhaliwal finished third after scoring 331 points. China and Kazakhstan finished ahead of the Indian trio.

In the men’s competition, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill combined for 346 points to secure bronze. Their medal came after India prevailed over Kazakhstan in a shoot-off after the two teams had finished level on points.

The two results took India’s shooting medal haul to seven at these Games, underlining the discipline’s importance to the country’s overall campaign.

There was also individual disappointment amid the team success, with Raiza Dhillon finishing fourth in the women’s individual skeet final and Manu Bhaker missing out on a medal in the women’s 10m air pistol final. Nevertheless, shooting remains central to India’s hopes of adding more medals as competition progresses.

Jay Meena makes Asian Games history

Another notable result came in soft tennis, where Jay Meena won a historic bronze medal in the men’s singles event.

The achievement was significant because it marked India’s first Asian Games medal in soft tennis. Meena had previously competed at two editions of the Games without winning a medal before finally reaching the podium in Aichi-Nagoya.

His bronze adds another sport to India’s medal list and demonstrates the breadth of the country’s campaign beyond the traditionally prominent disciplines.

India’s badminton team secures bronze

India’s men’s badminton team also finished with a bronze medal after losing 3-1 to China in the semifinal.

India had entered the semifinal after securing a medal by defeating Japan in the quarterfinal. Against China, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty lost their singles matches, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered India’s lone victory in the tie.

The result gives India its second Asian Games medal in the men’s team badminton event, adding another podium finish to the country’s expanding tally.

Asian Games 2026: India’s September 24 schedule

Day 5 promises another packed programme, with India involved in medal events from the early morning.

The day begins with rowing. Balraj Panwar will compete in the men’s single sculls final at 5:10am IST, followed by the men’s double sculls final featuring Satnam Singh and Salman Khan.

At 6:10am, attention will turn to wushu, where Roshibina Devi faces China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the women’s Sanda 60kg final. A win would give India another gold-medal opportunity.

Shooting will also be busy, with India competing in the men’s 10m air pistol and mixed-team skeet events.

Rowing remains one of the biggest sources of potential medals throughout the morning, with India also featuring in the women’s four, lightweight men’s double sculls and men’s quadruple sculls finals.

Canoe sprint will provide further medal opportunities, while Indian swimmers will compete in the men’s 50m butterfly and 800m freestyle events, subject to qualification for the finals.

The sporting action continues through the afternoon. India’s men’s hockey team will face South Korea at 11:30am, while the men’s and women’s kabaddi teams will also be in action.

In athletics, Asha Ilango and Niharika Vashisht will compete in the women’s triple jump final at 4:14pm. Sprinters Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh will begin their respective 100m campaigns later in the afternoon, while Seema will compete in the women’s 10,000m final at 5:55pm.

What lies ahead for India?

India enters Day 5 with momentum across multiple sports. The country already has a gold medal in cricket, several silver medals from shooting and other disciplines, and a growing collection of bronze medals.

The immediate focus, however, shifts to the next group of medal opportunities. Rowing has several Indian crews in finals, Roshibina Devi is competing directly for gold in wushu, and shooting continues to offer opportunities for the contingent.

At the same time, India’s teams in hockey and kabaddi will be looking to strengthen their campaigns, while athletics, swimming, canoe sprint and squash will keep the contingent busy across the day.

The medal table will inevitably change as more events conclude, but after four days, India has already established a broad medal base. Mirabai Chanu’s long-awaited Asian Games podium finish has provided one of the defining moments of the Games so far, while the performances in shooting, badminton and soft tennis have added further depth.

With several medal events scheduled for September 24, India’s tally could see another significant change before the fifth day comes to a close.

With input from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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