Asian Games 2026: Indian trio qualifies for hurdles, 200m finals

India's Nandhini Kongan reached the 100m hurdles final at Asian Games 2026, as Harita Bhadra and Unnathi Bolland entered the 200m final. The men's kabaddi team also secured gold, beating Iran after a strong second-half performance.

India kept its hopes alive in the women's sprint and hurdles events at the Asian Games 2026, with Nandhini Kongan qualifying for the 100m hurdles final and Harita Bhadra and Unnathi Bolland advancing to the women's 200m final. Kongan finished fourth in Heat 2 of the women's 100m hurdles with a time of 13.48 seconds. She progressed to the final with a 'q' qualification after finishing behind Japan's Mako Fukube (12.85s), China's Yanni Wu (13.18s) and Indonesia's Dina Aulia (13.39s). Kongan's qualification came after India's Jyothi Yarraji did not start her heat.

In the women's 200m, Harita Bhadra made an impressive start to her Asian Games campaign, finishing second in her heat in 23.31 seconds to secure automatic qualification for the final. Bhadra finished behind Singapore's Veronica Shanti Pereira, who clocked 23.31 seconds, while compatriot Unnathi Bolland also advanced to the final after finishing third in her heat in 23.33 seconds. With both Bhadra and Bolland through, India will have two representatives in the women's 200m final, scheduled to take place on Sunday.

India Clinches Gold in Men's Kabaddi

Earlier, India produced a stunning second-half comeback to defeat Iran 40-34 and clinch the gold medal in the men's kabaddi competition at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday. India trailed Iran 17-18 at half-time but came out firing after the break, taking complete control of the contest and turning the match decisively in their favour.

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