Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 26 (ANI): Indian boxer Jadumani Singh bowed out of the Asian Games 2026 after losing to the Philippines' Carlo Paalam in the men's 55kg round of 16 on Saturday.
Jadumani went down to Paalam by a split decision (3-0) in a closely contested bout. The Philippines boxer made a strong start and used his speed to trouble Jadumani in the opening round. While Jadumani managed to land a few jabs and put pressure on his opponent, Paalam responded with counter-attacks and finished the round strongly to take a 5-0 lead, with all judges scoring it 10-9 in his favour.
The second round remained a tactical battle, with both boxers trying to find openings. Paalam continued to maintain his advantage, leaving Jadumani needing a strong comeback in the final round.
In the final three minutes, both fighters adopted an attacking approach after an initial defensive exchange. They traded punches in a physically demanding finish, but Paalam's advantage from the opening rounds proved decisive.
The Philippines boxer secured the contest by a 3-0 split decision, ending Jadumani's campaign at the Asian Games. With the victory, Paalam advanced to the next stage of the men's 55kg boxing competition, while Jadumani exited the tournament.
Meanwhile, India opened the day with a medal-winning performance in athletics as Sawan Barwal clinched silver in the men's marathon with a national record time of 2:11:37. In shooting, Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod secured team silver in the women's 50m rifle 3P event, while Tilottama and Vidarsa advanced to the individual final. Tilottama later finished fourth and Vidarsa fifth in the individual final after a close medal battle.
In squash, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar won a bronze medal in mixed doubles after losing their semifinal against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi.
Badminton saw Unnati Hooda progress to the women's singles pre-quarterfinals after defeating Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching, while Lakshya Sen exited after a second-round defeat to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.
In boxing, Jadumani Singh bowed out after losing to the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam in the men's 55kg round of 16 bout.
Indian archers produced strong performances in qualification rounds. Chikitha Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep finished second in the women's team compound qualification, while Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge secured third place in the men's team recurve qualification, with Dhiraj setting Asian and national records.
In athletics, Tejaswin Shankar and Thowfeeq Noushad continued their decathlon campaign, with Tejaswin winning the long jump event and remaining in medal contention. Animesh Kujur qualified for the men's 200m semifinal after topping his heat.
India progressed in fencing with wins in the women's foil and men's sabre team round of 16 before suffering quarterfinal defeats against Japan and South Korea. In canoe sprint, Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar reached Final A in mixed kayak double 500m, while Harshwardhan Shaktawat advanced to Final B.
Table tennis players Yashaswini Ghorpade and Manush Shah exited in the singles rounds, while esports player Paritosh lost in the Puyo Puyo Champions quarterfinal. India’s mixed canoe double team of Raju Rawat and Neha Devi Leichonbam finished eighth in the final. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: Jadumani Singh exits after losing to Carlo Paalam in men's 55kg R16 bout
