Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 29 (ANI): India enjoyed a memorable Day 10 at the Asian Games 2026, with Neeru Dhanda scripting history by winning gold in the women’s trap event, while the women’s 4x400m relay team clinched the country’s first athletics gold of the Games.
India secured eight medals on Tuesday, including two gold, one silver and five bronze across shooting, athletics and boxing in Aichi-Nagoya.
India’s women’s 4x400m relay team delivered a historic performance by clinching the country’s first athletics gold medal at the Games. The quartet of Kiran Pahal, Poovamma MR, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top of the podium, with Bahrain winning silver and China taking bronze.
Earlier in the day, shooter Neeru Dhanda scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual medal in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games, securing gold with a score of 28/30 in the final. China’s Sun Yunong won silver with 26/30, while UAE’s Hajar Abdulmalik claimed bronze with 21/25. Neeru, along with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer, also won silver in the women’s trap team event with a total score of 328 points.
In athletics, Gulveer Singh continued his impressive campaign by adding his third medal of the Games, winning bronze in the men’s 5000m final with a time of 13:32.75. Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew won gold with 13:30.79, while Japan’s Tomonori Yamaguchi secured silver with 13:31.43.
India’s mixed 4x100m relay team comprising Gurindervir Singh, Sneha Sathyanarayan, Animesh Kujur and Harita Bhadra also secured bronze after clocking 41.06 seconds in the final. China won gold with 40.78 seconds, while Thailand took silver with 40.87 seconds.
Pooja added another medal to India’s athletics tally by winning bronze in the women’s high jump final with a best clearance of 1.84m. She secured the podium finish on countback after recording a clean card up to 1.84m.
The men’s 4x400m relay team of Dharmveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil, Jay Kumar and Vishal Thennarasu also clinched bronze after clocking 3:01.61. Japan won gold with 3:00.75, while Qatar secured silver with 3:00.93.
In boxing, Narender Berwal won his second consecutive Asian Games bronze medal in the men’s +90kg category after losing his semifinal bout to Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay. Meanwhile, Parveen and Ankush Panghal advanced to the gold medal bouts in their respective categories after winning their semifinal contests.
Indian pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena also created history at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, setting a new national record in the men's pole vault final with a clearance of 5.50m on Monday.
Dev surpassed his previous personal best of 5.46m, clearing 5.50m on his second attempt to become the highest-clearing Indian pole vaulter in the event. However, he could not find a place on the podium and finished seventh in the 12-man event.
The 22-year-old began his final’s campaign by passing on the 5.05m mark before clearing 5.20m on his second attempt and 5.35m on his first attempt. He then produced a record-breaking jump of 5.50m on his second attempt, before narrowly missing three attempts at 5.60m.
Dev eventually finished seventh in a highly competitive Asian Games final, but his record-breaking effort marked a major milestone for Indian pole vault. The athlete, who has only recently started competing internationally at this level, delivered a personal best performance on the continental stage.
India also recorded victories in several other events on Tuesday, with the men’s volleyball team defeating Qatar 3-2, while the women’s squash team advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Iran 3-0. Tennis players Sumit Nagal, Dhakshineswar Suresh and the men’s doubles pair of Anirudh Chandrasekar and N Sriram Balaji also progressed in their respective events.
However, India also faced setbacks in several events on Tuesday. Athletes Anushka Yadav and Tanya Chaudhary finished fifth and fourth, respectively, in the women’s hammer throw final, while Mohammed Afsal finished eighth in the men’s 800m final. Kuldeep Kumar finished 10th in the men’s pole vault final, while Pooja finished seventh in the women’s 800m final.
In other events, Shapath Bharadwaj finished eighth in the men’s trap individual final after qualifying for the medal round, while India’s men’s and women’s track cycling teams missed out on podium finishes. Surfer Kishore Kumar Anbarasu exited in the men’s shortboard quarterfinal, while India’s women’s team sprint cycling campaign also ended after a defeat to Chinese Taipei. (ANI)
Neeru Dhanda, women’s relay team’s gold wins lead India’s eight-medal haul on Day 10 at 2026 Asian Games
