Asian Games 2026: India Sweep Kabaddi Golds, Reach Hockey Semis & Two Squash Finals

India completed a golden double in kabaddi at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, with the men overturning a half-time deficit to beat Iran 40-34 after the women held off the same opponents 37-34 to retain their title.

The victories headlined a strong day in Aichi-Nagoya, where India also advanced to the men’s hockey semi-finals, secured two squash singles final berths and delivered major upsets on the badminton court.

Men Rally, Women Hold Their Nerve

Trailing Iran 17-18 at half-time, the Indian men lifted their intensity after the break, with Sumit and Arjun Deshwal playing pivotal roles in the turnaround.

The defending champions built a second-half advantage and protected it to complete a six-point victory. The result followed the women’s successful title defence earlier in the day, giving India both kabaddi golds.

The women’s final remained tense until the closing stages. Iran pressed for a comeback, but a crucial Indian tackle on Aynaz with around a minute remaining helped settle the contest.

India held on for a 37-34 win, retaining the title they had won at the Hangzhou edition.

Hockey: Four Wins, a Semi-Final Berth

India’s men’s hockey team maintained their unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory over hosts Japan, securing a place in the semi-finals.

Abhishek and Harmanpreet Singh scored as the defending champions negotiated their fourth successive Pool A win. Japan threatened at times, but India kept a clean sheet and controlled enough of the contest to see out the result.

The win followed emphatic victories over Indonesia, Sri Lanka and South Korea. India began with a 13-1 result against Indonesia, beat Sri Lanka 16-1 and then defeated South Korea 8-2.

Pakistan could be India’s semi-final opponents, subject to the final standings.

Treesa–Gayatri Beat World No. 3 Pair Again

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand delivered one of the day’s standout badminton results, defeating Japan’s world No. 3 pair Mayu Matsumoto and Yuki Fukushima 24-22, 21-18 to reach the women’s doubles quarter-finals.

The Indians had already beaten the Japanese pair in the team competition. Their second victory required another composed performance under pressure.

After edging a tight opening game, Treesa and Gayatri trailed 8-11 in the second. They recovered to 15-15 and, with the scores subsequently level at 18-18, won the final three points to close out the match.

They will face Malaysia’s world No. 5 pair Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan next, with a victory assuring them of a medal.

Unnati Hooda Sets Up Yamaguchi Clash

Unnati Hooda added another upset in women’s singles, beating Indonesia’s world No. 6 Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-19, 21-13.

The 19-year-old took a close first game before winning the second more comfortably to secure her quarter-final place.

Her next challenge is Japan’s world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, with a semi-final berth at stake.

Abhay and Anahat Move Within One Win of Gold

India will contest both squash singles finals after Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh won their semi-finals.

Abhay defeated Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 11-3, 12-10, 11-6. After taking the opening game comfortably, he edged the second before completing a straight-games victory.

He will face the winner of the other semi-final between Pakistan’s Noor Zaman and Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng.

Anahat came through a tougher contest against Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, winning 3-2 to reach the women’s singles final.

In mixed doubles, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar finished with bronze after losing their semi-final to Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi.

Marathon and Shooting Add Silvers

Earlier, Sawan Barwal won silver in the men’s marathon, clocking 2:11:37.

India also took silver in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event through Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod.

The men’s kabaddi triumph subsequently added another gold to a day that brought podium finishes across disciplines and further medal opportunities in the knockout rounds.

With inputs from ANI