Asian Games 2026: Suchika Tariyal wins India's 1st-ever MMA medal

Suchika Tariyal made history at the Asian Games 2026, securing India's first-ever MMA medal with a bronze. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated her. India's medal tally also grew with a silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday congratulated Indian mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete Suchika Tariyal for scripting history by winning India's first-ever MMA medal at the Asian Games 2026. Taking to social media platform X, Mandaviya shared a video of Suchika's achievement and lauded her historic performance. "A historic moment for Bharat! Suchika Tariyal scripts history by winning India’s first-ever MMA medal with a spectacular Bronze at the #AsianGames2026. The entire nation is proud of you!" Mandaviya wrote.

A historic moment for Bharat! 🇮🇳🥉 Suchika Tariyal scripts history by winning India’s first-ever MMA medal with a spectacular Bronze at the #AsianGames2026. The entire nation is proud of you! #Cheer4Bharat pic.twitter.com/yLV0AHCykc — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) September 21, 2026

Suchika Tariyal Secures India's First-Ever MMA Medal

Indian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athlete Suchika Tariyal made history, securing the country's first-ever bronze medal in the discipline on the stage of the Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya on Monday. Even though compatriot Varun Sanyal's MMA campaign at the Asian Games finished before it could even start due to medical reasons, Suchika raised the tricolour on a global level while representing the country's Indian MMA scene, finishing as a bronze medalist after a 2-0 loss to Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo.

On Sunday, Suchika assured India’s first medal at the Asian Games as she booked her place in the semifinal of the women’s traditional 60kg MMA event on Sunday in Nagoya. She defeated Altanchimeg Baigalmaa. Baigalmaa came out aggressively in the second and final round, looking to overturn the contest, but Suchika’s defence held firm under sustained pressure. As Baigalmaa continued to attack, Suchika produced a crucial reversal and took her opponent to the ground. She maintained control until the end of the round, doing enough to secure the victory. With the win, Suchika advanced to the semifinal and confirmed India’s first medal of the Games.

India's Performance in Other Sports

Meanwhile, India enjoyed a mixed but eventful outing across disciplines at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday.

Soft Tennis

In soft tennis, Aadhya Tiwari and Jay Meena began their mixed doubles Group B campaign with a 5-0 win over Cambodia's Viva Chao and Chanroseka Khun. They also secured a victory over Mongolia's Bud Nyamdorj and Enkhkhuslen Ganbaatar, while their Group B clash against South Korea's Kim Yeon-hwa and Jaekyu Park was also on the schedule.

Shooting

India's medal run in shooting continued as the trio of Rudrankksh Patil, Parth Mane and Himanshu Dhillon secured a silver medal in the men's 10 m air rifle team event at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday. Team India managed a silver with a score of 1890.1, short of first-place China's 1899.0. The bronze medal went to South Korea, with a score of 1841.4. This marks their third medal of the Asian Games 2026, all of them silver medals coming in shooting.

In shooting, Rudrankksh Patil finished third and Himanshu Dhillon seventh to qualify for the men's 10m air rifle individual final. Parth Mané finished 11th. India also secured a silver medal in the team final.

Swimming

In swimming, Srihari Nataraj progressed to the men's 50m backstroke final, with Rishabh Das named as the reserve. Mani Akash and Gitesh Shah failed to make the men's 50m freestyle final, while Dhanush Suresh also missed out on the men's 100m breaststroke final.

Wushu

In wushu, Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th in the women's Changquan final.

Table Tennis

In table tennis, India defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the women's team Group F match. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)