Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi, 23, won the silver medal in the women’s road race at the 2026 Asian Games near Nagoya, Japan, finishing behind China’s Guo Li. Hashimi began cycling as a teenager in Afghanistan and said she sometimes disguised herself as a man to train, facing attacks and intimidation. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, she fled Afghanistan with assistance from former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto and relocated to Italy. Hashimi, who competed at the Paris Olympics, said the silver medal represents resilience among Afghan women. She hopes future Afghan girls can compete without fear. (PC: Reuters)

India faces a busy day at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on September 23, with Manu Bhaker and Mirabai Chanu among the major names in action. Bhaker will compete in the women’s 10m air pistol qualification alongside Suruchi Inder Singh and Esha Singh, with the final scheduled later if they qualify. Mirabai will contest the women’s 49kg weightlifting final, seeking her first Asian Games medal. India’s men’s badminton team will face China in the semifinal after beating Japan in the quarterfinals. Wushu athlete Roshibina Devi will also compete in the 60kg Sanda semifinal. India’s women’s hockey team will meet Thailand. (PC: India Today)

India ended their wait for a first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games as Harmanpreet Kaur’s women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the T20 final. Batting first, India posted a formidable 216/3, setting Sri Lanka a target of 217. Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 79 off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma contributed 48 off 29 and Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten on 49 off 22. India’s bowlers then dismantled Sri Lanka’s chase, bowling them out for just 69 in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma took 3/6, while Shafali Verma claimed two wickets. The victory secured India’s second consecutive Asian Games women’s cricket gold medal and first gold of the 2026 Games.

India won its first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday. The Indian women’s cricket team beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. The team defended its gold medal from the previous edition. India also confirmed two more medals. The men’s badminton team beat Japan 3-0 in the quarter-final to secure a medal. Wushu player Roshibina Devi also reached the medal stage in the women’s 60kg event. India’s men’s kabaddi team beat South Korea 63-31. The men’s hockey team also recorded a big win, defeating Sri Lanka 16-1 in their Pool A match.  

India won their first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the T20 final. The victory took India’s medal tally to seven. India posted a strong total before bowling Sri Lanka out for 69. The men’s badminton team also assured India of a medal after beating Japan 3-0 in the quarter-finals. Lakshya Sen led the victory with a comeback win over Kodai Naraoka, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty won their matches. Roshibina Devi also entered the wushu semi-finals, assuring another medal for India. (PC: X)

India secured a medal in the men’s badminton team event at the Asian Games after beating Japan 3-0 in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Lakshya Sen produced a strong comeback against world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka, losing the first game 11-21 before winning the next two 21-5, 21-19. His 66-minute victory gave India the lead. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then defeated Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo 21-18, 24-22 in doubles. Ayush Shetty sealed the tie with a 21-10, 21-19 win over Koki Watanabe. India will face China or Korea in Wednesday’s semi-final. The result assures India a second consecutive Asian Games men’s team medal. (PC: India Today)

Indian rowers at the 2026 Asian Games have threatened to go on strike after several last-minute changes were made to event line-ups, just two days before rowing competitions begin. The rowing events were delayed from September 20 because of a typhoon warning and are now scheduled to start on September 23. Team management reshuffled crews across events, including double sculls, quadruple sculls, single sculls, men’s pair and coxless four. Rowers reportedly questioned the changes and raised concerns about the lack of communication. Some athletes considered boycotting training sessions as efforts continued to resolve the dispute before competition begins. (PC: X)

India retained their women’s cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final in Nagoya on Tuesday. India posted a record 216/3 in 20 overs, with Smriti Mandhana scoring 79 off 45 balls. Shafali Verma added 48, while Richa Ghosh finished unbeaten on 49 off 22 balls. Mandhana also became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs. Sri Lanka struggled in the chase and were bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma took three wickets, while Shafali claimed two. India secured their second successive Asian Games women’s cricket gold. (PC: X)

India’s men’s table tennis team exited the 2026 Asian Games after losing 0-3 to South Korea in the pre-quarterfinals. Harmeet Desai went down 1-3 to Jang Woojin in the opening match, before Manush Shah lost a closely contested 2-3 encounter against Oh Junsung. Manav Thakkar then fell 1-3 to An Jaehyun, completing Korea’s clean sweep. India had entered the knockout stage after finishing second in Group F, following wins over Indonesia and Pakistan and a 0-3 defeat to Iran. The team had opted not to field experienced player G Sathiyan against Korea. India had won the men’s team bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games. The loss ended India’s medal hopes.  

Pakistan secured the women’s cricket bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place playoff on Tuesday. Pakistan posted 145/8 in 20 overs, with captain Fatima Sana leading the scoring with an unbeaten 45 off 30 balls. Gull Feroza added 31 off 23, while Aliya Riaz contributed 25. Bangladesh struggled during their chase and finished on 114/7. Shamima Akter top-scored with an unbeaten 46 off 45 deliveries, while captain Nigar Sultana made 25. Pakistan’s Umm-e-Hani was the key bowler, taking three wickets for 10 runs in four overs. The result earned Pakistan their first women’s cricket medal at these Asian Games. India and Sri Lanka will contest the gold medal.