Asian Games 2026: What Went Right for India and What Went Wrong for Manu Bhaker?

India had plenty to celebrate at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday, but not every result went its way. Two bronze medals in shooting, a historic breakthrough in soft tennis and victories across boxing, kabaddi and table tennis kept the campaign moving. Yet, at the shooting range, Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker finished fifth after qualifying among the frontrunners.

It was a day of contrasting fortunes for the Indian contingent. While some athletes converted their opportunities into medals, others advanced to the next round, and a few saw their campaigns come to an end. With finals and knockout contests approaching, India’s Day 4 offered both reasons for optimism and reminders of how fine the margins can be at the Asian Games.

What went right: Shooting delivers, Jay Meena makes history

India’s shooting contingent produced two podium finishes in the skeet team events, with the women’s team creating a milestone of its own.

Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan combined for 331 points to win bronze in the women’s skeet team event, securing India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the category.

The men’s team followed with bronze. Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill finished with 346 points, tying with Kazakhstan for third place before prevailing in a shoot-off. Naruka also qualified for the men’s individual skeet final, keeping another medal opportunity alive.

For Mairaj, the women’s team’s achievement is a foundation for future success. Speaking to ANI, he said, “I think this is just the beginning,” pointing to upcoming World Championships and World Cups as opportunities to build on the result. He also expressed hope that the Indian women’s skeet team would win Olympic medals.

But shooting was not the only discipline to deliver a historic moment.

Jay Meena secured India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis after reaching the men’s singles semi-finals. He lost to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka, but the semi-final finish guaranteed him a medal, ensuring a bronze for India.

The result gives the Indian contingent a new milestone in a sport where it had never previously reached the Asian Games podium.

What went wrong: Manu Bhaker misses the podium

For Manu Bhaker, Wednesday brought a frustrating finish after a promising start.

The 24-year-old had qualified third in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event with a score of 579-20x. But in the final, she finished fifth with 181.1 points, exiting after her 18th shot.

South Korea’s Choo Gaeun won gold with 246.3 points, setting an Asian record. China’s Shen Yiyao took silver with 241.3, while Jiang Ranxin secured bronze with 221.6.

Bhaker’s fifth-place finish followed another narrow miss for India in the women’s 10m air pistol team event, where the team finished fourth, just two inner-10 shots short of a podium finish.

The result was a setback for a shooter who entered the final among the leading qualifiers, but Mairaj backed her after the event, describing her as a champion and stressing that fluctuations are part of competition.

“She is an athlete; it’s not necessary that she will win a gold medal every single time,” he told ANI, adding that Bhaker had another event lined up and expressing hope that she would perform better.

Her campaign, therefore, is not over, even as the fifth-place finish leaves India without a medal in the individual event.

Ankush Panghal advances as table tennis pairs reach quarter-finals

Away from the shooting range, India continued to make progress in the knockout stages.

Boxer Ankush Panghal advanced to the round of 16 in the men’s 80kg category after defeating Bahrain’s Hamsa Vogel by a unanimous 5-0 decision. The Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medallist controlled the bout across all three rounds, with all five judges awarding him each round.

In table tennis, both Indian mixed doubles pairs booked quarter-final places.

Manush Shah and Diya Chitale defeated Maldives’ Ahmed Moosa and Aishath Nazim 3-0, winning 11-0, 11-7 and 11-6 in just 15 minutes. Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade overcame Hong Kong, China’s Yiu Kwan To and Ng Wing Lam 3-1, winning the first two games before closing out the match 11-7 in the fourth.

The results put two Indian combinations in the last eight, strengthening the country’s presence in the event.

Kabaddi, rowing and canoe sprint keep India in contention

India’s women’s kabaddi team continued its winning run, defeating Iran 37-23 in its Group A match. The victory was its second consecutive win, following the opening triumph over Bangladesh.

Rowing also brought a series of qualifications. Balraj Panwar advanced to the men’s single sculls final after finishing third in his heat, while Satnam Singh and Salman Khan qualified for the men’s double sculls final after finishing second in theirs.

India’s women’s four crew of Gurbani Kaur, Aleena Anto, Tendenthoi Haobijam and Poonam also secured a place in Final A. Jaswinder Singh and Nitin Kumar advanced to Final B in the men’s pair event.

In canoe sprint, the men’s kayak four 500m team of Harshwardhan Shaktawat, Varinder Singh, L Naocha Singh Oinam and Arun Singh reached the final. Megha Pradeep qualified for the women’s canoe single 200m semi-final, while Parvathy Geetha and Phairembam Soniya Devi advanced in the women’s kayak double 500m.

Not every victory translated into progression. India defeated the Philippines 2-1 in the men’s team regu sepak takraw event but missed out on qualification for the next stage.

Swimming and fencing also brought mixed results. Benedicton Beniston finished 13th overall in the men’s 100m butterfly heats, while Sajan Prakash did not start. Vedaant Madhavan and Aneesh Sunil finished 19th and 17th respectively in the men’s 200m freestyle, missing out on progression.

In fencing, Gisho Nidhi Kumaresan advanced in the men’s sabre, while Mina Devi Naorem and Ashitha Stalinraj exited the women’s foil competition in the round of 32. Karan Singh also bowed out in the men’s sabre.

What comes next for India?

India’s campaign continues with several important contests ahead.

The men’s badminton team, which has already assured itself of a medal, is set to face China in the semi-finals, with a place in the final at stake. Wushu athlete Roshibina Devi will also aim to reach the final of her event.

Naruka’s qualification for the men’s skeet individual final offers another opportunity for the shooting contingent, while India’s advancing table tennis pairs and rowers will look to convert their progress into further results.

At the time of ANI’s report, India’s medal tally stood at 10, including gold medals in cricket, soft tennis and mixed martial arts, alongside seven medals in shooting. India was eighth in the standings, with China leading with 60 medals.