India held 44th-ranked Panama to a 1-1 draw in an international friendly at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday. Ryan Williams gave India the lead shortly before half-time after receiving a long pass, running into the box and calmly finishing his one-on-one chance. Panama, which featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, responded in the second half through Omar Valencia. The Panamanian midfielder produced a stunning left-footed strike from outside the penalty area, finding the top corner to level the score. Both teams continued to attack in search of a winner, but neither could break the deadlock. The result gave India a notable draw against a significantly higher-ranked World Cup opposition.

Gulveer Singh won silver in the men’s 10,000m final at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, finishing 1.87 seconds behind Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew. Gulveer clocked 28:29.38, while Balew took gold. The result gave Gulveer his second consecutive Asian Games medal in the 10,000m, following his bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. He had also won silver in the event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, becoming the first Indian man to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the 10,000m. Gulveer’s latest podium finish adds another major medal to India’s athletics campaign at the Asian Games and further strengthens his record in long-distance running across major international competitions in recent seasons.

Baranica Elangovan made history at the 2026 Asian Games by winning bronze in the women’s pole vault in Nagoya, securing India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the event. The 29-year-old athlete cleared 4.15 metres to finish on the podium. She shared the bronze with Russia’s Polina Ivanova, who also cleared 4.15m before both athletes failed to clear 4.25m. Baranica entered the Games as India’s national record holder, having raised the mark to 4.23m earlier this year. Her breakthrough follows a 2026 season and adds another major achievement to India’s athletics campaign in Nagoya. The medal also marked India’s first Asian Games pole vault podium finish across both men’s and women’s competition. (PC: X)

Manpreet Kaur ended her wait for an Asian Games medal on Friday by winning bronze for India in the women’s shot put final at the 2026 Asian Games. The 36-year-old athlete from Punjab produced her best throw of 17.17m on her fourth attempt, improving from 16.32m, 16.41m and 16.80m in her first three rounds. China’s Song Jiayuan won gold with 19.40m, while compatriot Zhang Linru took silver with 18.14m. Manpreet had finished fifth at the 2023 Asian Games and fourth at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Her personal best is 18.06m, set in 2022, while she won the 2026 National Inter-State Championships with 17.75m. (PC: The Hindu)

India’s women’s kabaddi team reached the Asian Games 2026 final after defeating Nepal 48-24 in the semifinal on Friday. The defending champions controlled the contest from the first half, taking a commanding 31-17 lead at the interval. India’s raiders consistently collected points while the defence tightened its grip as the match progressed. Nepal struggled to close the gap in the second half, scoring only seven points. The victory kept India’s unbeaten run intact and maintained their pursuit of a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal. India will face either Iran or Chinese Taipei in Saturday’s final. 

Indian shooters Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The pair dominated the final with a score of 484.6 points, finishing 6.6 points ahead of South Korea, which secured silver with 478.0 points. Iran won bronze with 415.8 points. India’s duo had earlier topped the qualification round with 587 points. Their final score also set a new Asian Games record, surpassing the previous mark of 481.3. The victory gave India its second gold medal of the Games and its first shooting gold. (PC: PTI)

India secured a table tennis medal at the 2026 Asian Games after Manush Shah and Diya Chitale defeated Hong Kong’s world No. 4 pair Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem in the mixed doubles quarterfinals. The Indian duo won 3-1, with game scores of 11-6, 13-15, 11-9 and 11-5, to reach the semifinals. The result guarantees India at least a bronze medal and marks only the country’s second Asian Games mixed doubles medal after Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra’s 2018 bronze. Shah and Chitale will face China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the semifinal. (PC: X)

India won the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on September 24. The quartet of Poovamma Raju, Vishal Thennarasu, Manu TS and Vithya Ramraj finished in 3:14.46, successfully defending the silver medal won at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. India initially appeared set for bronze, but Vithya produced a strong final leg to overtake Vietnam and secure second place. Bahrain won gold with a Games-record 3:12.87, while Vietnam took bronze in 3:14.54. The relay silver came shortly after Seema Kumari’s bronze in the women’s 10,000m.

India secured two athletics medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on September 24. The mixed 4x400m relay team of T.S. Manu, M.R. Poovamma, Vishal T.K. and Vithya Ramraj won silver with a time of 3:14.46, finishing behind Bahrain’s Games-record 3:12.87. Earlier, Seema Kumari won bronze in the women’s 10,000m, clocking 32:50.05. Her medal ended India’s 16-year wait for a podium finish in the event and was only the country’s third Asian Games medal in women’s 10,000m. The results strengthened India’s athletics campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. (PC: X)

India added five medals on Day 5 of the 2026 Asian Games, with athletics contributing silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bronze from Seema Kumari in the women’s 10,000m. Roshibina Devi won silver in the women’s Sanda 60kg event, while Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal secured bronze in mixed team skeet. Rowers Satnam Singh and Salman Khan also won bronze in men’s double sculls, giving India 17 medals overall. The mixed relay quartet clocked 3:14.46, finishing behind Bahrain’s Games-record 3:12.87. India’s men’s hockey team beat South Korea 8-2, while both kabaddi teams reached the semifinals unbeaten. Several Indian athletes also successfully advanced in squash, table tennis, boxing and athletics. (PC: PTI, AFP & Reuters)