Lovlina Borgohain wins gold medal at Asian Games, defeating Chinese boxer

Niru Danda achieved a historic feat on Tuesday. The 26-year-old shooter from Haryana won India's first Olympic gold medal in the women's individual trap event at the Asian Games. Furthermore, Niru set a new Asian record by scoring 28 points.

Before her victory, Niru and India also won a silver medal in the women's trap team event. Thus, in one day, Niru helped the team reach the podium and then won gold in the individual event herself, making history.

This year has been one of many successes for Niru. In July, she became the first Indian woman to win gold in trap at the World Shooting Cup held in Italy. Now she has added a new chapter to the history of Indian shooting at the Asian Games.

By scoring 28 points, Niru surpassed the old Asian record of 24 points on four targets. Her shooting accuracy not only secured her gold but also allowed her to enter the tournament's record books.

Indian weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu achieved a historic feat by winning a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games. She secured this award in the women's 49 kg weight class. This marked her first podium finish at the Asian Games.

In the women's 49 kg category, Ri Song Gum from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea won the gold medal. For Mirabai, this achievement is particularly significant because she failed to win a medal and placed fourth at the previous Asian Games; this time, she overcame that barrier by taking silver.

With this medal, Mirabai Chanu has matched the legendary Indian weightlifter Karnam Malleswari. Mirabai is now the second Indian weightlifter to win medals at major international tournaments such as the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Para Games, World Championships, as well as Asian and Para Championships.

In her career, Mirabai already holds an Olympic silver medal, gold and silver medals from the World Championships, as well as numerous gold medals from the Para Games. The silver medal at the Asian Games is another major victory in her brilliant career.

Ri Song Gum, a two-time world champion from North Korea, demonstrated record performance by lifting 215 kg (94 kg + 121 kg) to win gold, completing a triumphant streak of titles at the Asian Games.

Chanu began the competition by successfully completing all three snatch attempts, lifting 83 kg, 85 kg, and 87 kg. Following this, she achieved her best lift in the clean and jerk—111 kg—and after several near-miss attempts, finally secured a medal at the Asian Games.

Details of Suchika Tarial's experience at the 2026 Asian Games became known after the match held on Monday, September 21. In the semi-final of the women's traditional MMA discipline at 60 kg, Suchika Tarial from India faced Theo Hui Hung from Singapore.

The initial decision in favor of the Singaporean athlete was disputed by India, which filed an official complaint. A non-refundable fee of 1000 US dollars was paid for this appeal by the Federation and Nihil Kunder. Following this, the match video recording was re-analyzed.

Although such bouts are usually decided by a panel of three judges, after the appeal was filed, the arbitration process was handed over to 10 judges to study the recording. Based on the thorough analysis of all aspects, the match was declared a draw.

The situation was complicated by the fact that according to the regulations, in case of a draw, the weight rule is applied to determine the winner. During this procedure, Suchika Tarial weighed 700 grams heavier than her opponent. Consequently, the decision was made in favor of Theo Hui Hung from Singapore based on the weight criterion, which deprived Suchika of the chance to reach the final.

Thus, Suchika Tarial was not eliminated from the tournament due to a direct loss. Although the re-review of the match after the official protest recognized it as a draw, the weight rule played against her, and she had to settle for a bronze medal.

After the match, Suchika Tarial appeared very upset. When both athletes were invited onto the stage for the official announcement of results, she initially refused to go there. Only after being persuaded by Indian coaches did she reach the stage, but the results brought tears to her eyes.

Nevertheless, Suchika Tarial achieved a historic feat at the 2026 Asian Games. MMA was included in the Asian Games program for the first time, and Suchika won the first medal for India in this sport. Previously, she reached the semi-finals by defeating Altanchimeg Baigalma from Mongolia with a score of 2:0 in the quarter-finals. Despite winning bronze, the way the result was determined through the weight rule after a draw made this defeat extremely emotional.

Hailing from Rohtak, Suchika Tarial began practicing judo at the age of 12. She decided to learn judo for self-defense after an incident of harassment. Subsequently, she became an eight-time national judo champion and also won a gold medal at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and at the South Asian Games. She represented India in more than twenty international competitions. After starting MMA training in 2017, she took a break from sports for about seven years but returned to professional MMA in 2024.