Aichi-Nagoya, 30 September (H.S.): Indian wrestler Sunil Kumar suffered a defeat by technical superiority against Japan’s Taizo Yoshida in the semi-final of the men’s Greco-Roman 87kg category at the Asian Games 2026. Yoshida defeated Sunil 11-0 to book his place in the final.

Sunil’s medal hopes, however, remain alive. He will now compete in the bronze-medal bout against the wrestler emerging from the repechage.

Earlier, Sunil had made an impressive start to his campaign, defeating Tajikistan’s Muhammad Sultanzoda 9-0 by technical superiority. His opponent failed to register a single point in the contest.

India Strike Gold in Compound Archery

Meanwhile, India’s women’s compound team of Jyothi Vennam, Chikita Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep clinched the gold medal after defeating China 238-234 in the final. The Indian trio had earlier edged past South Korea 234-233 in the semi-final.

In the compound mixed team event, Chikita Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav also booked their place in the final. The Indian pair defeated Thailand 156-155 in a closely fought semi-final.

Women’s Squash Team Assured of a Medal

The Indian women’s squash team secured a medal after defeating Singapore 2-0 in the quarter-final. Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh won their respective singles matches to send India into the semi-finals.

India’s Performance in Other Sports

In canoe slalom, Pradyumn Singh Rathore advanced to the final of the men’s kayak singles event.

In cycling, Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka progressed to the semi-finals of the women’s keirin through the repechage, while Sarita Kumari was eliminated.

In the men’s sprint event, David Beckham and Ronaldo Singh finished 14th and 15th, respectively, in the qualification round before being eliminated in the Round of 16 repechage.

In judo, Asmita Dey defeated Vietnam’s Ha Ngoc Chi by ippon in the women’s 48kg Round of 16 to advance to the next round.

In sepak takraw, India’s men’s team defeated Laos 2-0 in the quadrant group stage, while the women’s team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Vietnam in Group A.

In the women’s freestyle 68kg category, Nisha Dahiya’s campaign ended in the Round of 16 after she was defeated by North Korea’s Pak Sol Gum.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar