Athletics double lifts India’s Asian Games medal tally to 17
India ended the sixth day of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 17 medals after a productive September 24 programme that delivered success in athletics, rowing, wushu and shooting.
The evening athletics session provided the finishing surge. Seema Kumari claimed bronze in the women’s 10,000m before the mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Vishal T.K., M.R. Poovamma, Manu T.S. and Vithya Ramraj raced to silver.
Those results followed a historic rowing bronze for Satnam Singh and Salman Khan and another Asian Games silver for wushu fighter Naorem Roshibina Devi. India also collected bronze in mixed skeet through Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal, making it five medals across the day.
Satnam and Salman make rowing history
Satnam Singh and Salman Khan finished third in the men’s double sculls final at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course, clocking 6 minutes, 13.25 seconds over 2,000 metres.
China’s Yi Xudi and Nie Yide won gold in 6:09.77, while Uzbekistan’s Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov took silver in 6:10.49. The Indian crew remained in the medal positions through the middle of the race, briefly moving into second before securing bronze during the closing stages.
It was India’s first rowing medal of the 2026 Games and the country’s first Asian Games medal in the men’s double sculls. Satnam added a second continental Games medal to his record after being part of the men’s quadruple sculls crew that won bronze in Hangzhou in 2023.
Roshibina earns second straight silver
Roshibina Devi took silver in the women’s 60kg sanda competition after losing the final 0-2 to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu. Zhang controlled both rounds to win gold, but Roshibina’s latest podium extended her exceptional consistency at the Asian Games.
The Manipuri athlete has now won medals at three consecutive editions: bronze in Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, silver in Hangzhou and silver again in Aichi-Nagoya. Her 2026 campaign included a 2-0 semifinal victory over Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas.
Roshibina’s result also continued India’s search for a first Asian Games gold medal in wushu, while matching the country’s best colour in the sport.
Seema ends 16-year wait in 10,000m
Seema Kumari opened India’s athletics medal account with a composed run in the women’s 10,000m final. She stayed with the leading group before finishing third in 32:50.05.
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won gold in 32:39.18 after a late battle with Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, who took silver in 32:41.54. Seema separated herself from the chasing runners to secure the final podium position.
The bronze was India’s first women’s 10,000m medal at the Asian Games since 2010, when Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut won gold and silver respectively in Guangzhou. Seema’s performance therefore became only India’s third medal in the event’s Asian Games history.
Vithya’s anchor leg secures relay silver
India completed its athletics double in the mixed 4x400m relay, finishing second in 3:14.46. Vishal began the race before handing over to Poovamma, who kept the team in contention with a strong finish to her lap. Manu maintained India’s challenge on the third leg, leaving Vithya to chase the podium places.
Vithya produced a decisive anchor run, passing Vietnam and holding on for silver by eight-hundredths of a second. Vietnam took bronze in 3:14.54.
Bahrain won gold in an Asian Games record of 3:12.87. India’s result marked a second consecutive silver in the mixed 4x400m relay after the team also finished runner-up in Hangzhou.
India’s medal tally reaches 17
Following the completion of the September 24 medal events, India’s overall total stood at 17: one gold, seven silver and nine bronze. Athletics contributed two medals, while shooting remained the largest contributor with eight.
The five-medal day gave India momentum heading into the next phase of competition, with several team and individual events still offering opportunities to add to the tally.
