Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar achieved a bronze medal in the mixed doubles squash event at the Asian Games 2026 after an intense semi-final match against Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong. The semi-final, held on September 26, concluded with a narrow defeat for the Indian pair, who lost with scores of 10-11, 11-2, and 10-11.

The first game saw both teams engaged in extended rallies, with neither side able to establish a dominant lead. Chinappa and Senthilkumar made significant efforts to keep the score level throughout the game. However, in the closing moments, the Hong Kong duo managed to edge ahead, clinching the first game 11-10.

In response, the Indian pair delivered a formidable performance in the second game, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead. They maintained their momentum, extending their advantage to 7-2 and ultimately winning the game 11-2, thus forcing a pivotal third game to decide the match.

The final game began with Lee and Tang taking an early lead at 5-2. Nevertheless, Chinappa and Senthilkumar fought back to level things at 6-6. The Indian pair gained a momentary lead of 10-7, but the Hong Kong pair bounced back to secure four consecutive points, winning the game 11-10 and advancing to the final.

Other Indian Achievements at the Asian Games

In addition to the mixed doubles squash event, Indian athlete Sawan Barwal made history by securing the silver medal in the men’s marathon, achieving a national record time of 2:11:37. This remarkable performance highlights the growing prowess of Indian athletes on the international stage.

In the shooting category, the team of Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen, and Vidarsa Vinod contributed to India’s medal tally by winning silver in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event. Individually, Tilottama secured third place with 590 points, and Vidarsa finished sixth with 588 points, both qualifying for the individual finals.

Archery also saw Indian teams excel, with the women’s compound team qualifying in second place thanks to the combined score of Chikitha Taniparthi (705), Jyothi Surekha Vennam (699), and Prithika Pradeep (695), totalling 2099 points. Meanwhile, the men’s recurve team placed third with a score of 2039, with Dhiraj Bommadevara leading the individual rankings after scoring 698 points, setting both an Asian and national record.

In athletics, competitors Tejaswin Shankar and Thowfeeq Noushad continued their decathlon journey. Shankar secured first place in the long jump with a score of 7.53m, while Noushad was third at 7.37m, placing them second and fourth overall in the event.

Progress in Various Sports Disciplines

In the men’s 200m sprint, Animesh Kujur advanced to the semi-finals, achieving a time of 21.10 seconds in his heat. In canoe sprint, Harshwardhan Shaktawat moved to Final B after finishing fifth in the men’s kayak single 500m semi-final, where Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar qualified for Final A by finishing second in the mixed kayak double 500m event.

Fencing events saw the Indian women’s foil team defeating Indonesia 45-24, while the men’s sabre team overcame the Philippines 45-27 to reach the quarter-finals. However, both teams faced challenges in the quarter-finals, with the men’s sabre team falling to South Korea and the women’s foil team losing to Japan.

In badminton, Lakshya Sen was eliminated from the men’s singles after a closely contested match against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, while Yashaswini Ghorpade exited the women’s singles round 3 against Japan’s Miwa Harimoto. Esports player Paritosh faced defeat in the Puyo Puyo Champions quarter-final against Dongshin Kang.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share