Asian Games 2026: Neeraj Chopra confident Team India will make us proud

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra extended his best wishes to the Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2026. The javelin thrower will miss the event due to an injury. Pawan Sehrawat and Manu Bhaker will be the flag-bearers for the 503-athlete squad.

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra extended his best wishes to the Indian contingent participating in the Asian Games 2026, saying he was confident that the athletes would make the country proud.

Taking to social media platform X, Chopra wrote, "All my best wishes to the #TeamIndia at the Asian Games 2026! I’m sure they will all make us proud."

All my best wishes to the #TeamIndia at the Asian Games 2026! I’m sure they will all make us proud 🇮🇳 — Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) September 19, 2026

The Asian Games 2026 are scheduled to be held in Nagoya and Aichi, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. India will compete across multiple disciplines, with athletes aiming to build on the country's performances in previous editions of the continental event.

Neeraj Chopra to miss Games due to injury

Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics in men's javelin throw, has been one of India's leading sporting figures in recent years. However, Chopra will miss the 2026 Asian Games after he suffered an ankle ligament injury during a training session, which also ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Pawan Sehrawat, Manu Bhaker to lead Indian contingent

Meanwhile, Kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat and Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker led the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday. The ceremony at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium marked the formal opening of the 20th Asian Games, with India represented by a 503-athlete contingent across 36 sports.

Sehrawat, a member of India's gold-medal-winning men's kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games, now has the distinction of carrying the Tricolour at the opening ceremony alongside Bhaker.

'Heartwarming feeling': Manu Bhaker on being a flag-bearer

Bhaker, a double Olympic medallist, is among India's prominent athletes at the Games. Bhaker, who won two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will compete in the women’s 10m air pistol, women’s 25m pistol, and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team. She made history in Paris by becoming the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games.

In a video message ahead of the ceremony, Bhaker said that realising that she was chosen as one of the flag-bearers left her with a "heartwarming" feeling, and all she could experience was flashbacks of her early days in the sport and reflections on how far she has come.

"Honestly, when I found out yesterday, I had all these flashback memories of my earlier days. And, you know, when I started, I never thought that this was where I could reach one day in my sport. So, it is definitely a very heartwarming feeling. I feel really proud, really honoured, and really, really happy to be chosen as the flag bearer for my country. I just want to say thank you to God and thank you to everyone for all the love and support," she said.

India aims to surpass previous medal tally

India will be aiming to outdo the 2022 edition, where they secured a record-breaking 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze. (ANI)

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