India at the Asian Games brought historic distance-running success alongside early qualification rounds and elimination matches across multiple sports, highlighted by a 44-year breakthrough in the men’s marathon.
Sawan Barwal Ends 44-Year Marathon Wait With Silver Medal
Sawan Barwal secured the silver medal in the men’s marathon in a national record and personal-best time of 2:11:37, breaking a long-standing drought for Indian distance running on the continental stage. Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita claimed the gold medal in 2:10:49, while the People’s Republic of China’s Peiyou Feng took the bronze in 2:12:13.
Records show Barwal’s podium finish marks India’s first medal in the Asian Games marathon since Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan won bronze at the 1982 Asian Games, officially ending a 44-year wait. The performance is the first time an Indian athlete has won an Asian Games marathon medal outside of India. Compatriot Kartik Karkera also competed in the event, finishing 17th with a time of 2:22:41.
Archery Qualifications See Strong Indian Showings
In archery qualification rounds, Dhiraj Bommadevara set the pace by topping the men’s recurve qualification round with an Asian Games record of 698 points. Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhogal followed in 20th and 25th places with scores of 676 and 665, respectively. As a team, the Indian men’s recurve squad placed second overall with 2,039 points.
In the women’s compound competition, Chikitha Taniparthi led the entire field by registering 705 points. Teammates Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Poornima finished 12th and 20th with 699 and 695 points. The combined efforts placed the Indian women’s compound team second with 2,099 points.
Tejaswin Shankar Moves to Second in Decathlon
In athletics multi-event competition, Tejaswin Shankar advanced to second place in the decathlon standings following the long jump discipline. Shankar topped the long jump event with a best effort of 7.53m, earning 942 points. Fellow competitor Thowfeeq Noushad placed third in the discipline with a jump of 7.37m for 903 points. After two completed events, Shankar sits second overall with 1,807 points, while Noushad is tied for fourth with 1,759 points.
Fencing Squads Advance While Racquet Sports Face Exits
India’s men’s sabre team advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating the Philippines 45-27 in the Round of 16. Similarly, the Indian women’s foil team secured a 45-24 victory over Indonesia in their opening round. Both teams moved forward to face the Republic of Korea and Japan, respectively, in the quarter-finals.
In badminton, Lakshya Sen exited the men’s singles competition in the first round following a 2-1 defeat (21-12, 15-21, 21-14) against former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore. Sen forced a deciding game after dropping the opener, but Loh regained control to close out the match.
Table tennis competitor Yashaswini Ghorpade bowed out in the women’s singles Round of 16 after a 4-1 loss to Japan’s world No. 3 Miwa Harimoto. Ghorpade captured the third game 11-4 after dropping the first two, but Harimoto secured the next two games to seal the match.
Canoe Sprint and Esports Results
In canoe sprint, Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar advanced to the mixed kayak doubles 500m final by finishing second in their semi-final heat with a time of 1:53.031. Harshwardhan Shaktawat placed fourth in the men’s kayak single 500m semi-final with a time of 1:50.543, narrowly missing a spot in Final A.
In esports, Paritosh was eliminated in the Puyo Puyo Tetris quarter-finals after dropping a 5-0 match to South Korea’s Dongshin Kang. Paritosh had previously finished third in Group B after recording two wins and two losses.
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