Nagoya: Team India added eight medals to their tally on Monday, but it was another gold-less day for the big contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
Four silver and four bronze took India’s total medal haul to 45. But the tally includes just 4 gold, besides 20 silver and 21 bronze medals, with India remaining in 10th place.
The day started with a bittersweet silver for Esha Singh in Women’s 25m Air Pistol, after one of our main hopes Manu Bhaker failed to progress beyond the qualification round. Double-Olympic medalist Manu has nothing to show for in two individual and two Air Pistol team events.
The track and field events again raised great expectations. But Indians endured another mixed day with four silver, four bronze, some near gold-misses and disappointments as well.
Gulveer Singh added a second silver medal, finishing second in Men’s 1,500m after a similar result in 10,000m two days ago.
Parul Chaudhary also bagged her second medal of the Games when she claimed bronze in Women’s 5,000m. Two days ago, the Uttar Pradesh policewoman won a medal of the same colour in Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase.
Men’s Javelin threw up a heartwarming result, albeit gold eluded India.
In the absence of the redoubtable Neeraj Chopra, young torchbearers Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav ensured a double podium finish. Yashvir achieved a personal best of 85.72 metres to earn silver, while Rohit was third with a best effort of 84.68 metres.
Sri Lankan Rumesh Pathirage, the new ‘javelin king’, claimed gold by hurling the spear to a distance of 88.55 metres. Pathirage had beaten Neeraj to the gold in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Diamond League final.
Murali Sreeshankar was a tad unlucky to pick up an injury in the middle of Men’s Long Jump competition. The tall athlete still finished with silver, having leaped 8.07 metres in his second attempt. He couldn’t take his last two jumps, thereby denied a chance to topple Chinese Shi Yuhao’s winning jump of 8.17 metres.
Vithya Ramraj’s bronze in Women’s 400m Hurdles was special as her timing of 54.75 seconds broke a 42-year-old record set by the one and only PT Usha (55.42s) in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
India face Pakistan in men’s hockey semis
India topped Pool A in men’s hockey competition with an all-win record and 15 points.
Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick, Mandeep and Shilanand netted a brace each to lead India to a 10-0 rout of Bangladesh.
India thus set up a blockbuster semifinal against Pakistan, who finished runner-up in Pool B with a tally of 12 points.