Asim Khan wins bronze as Pakistan opens medal account at Asian Games

Pakistan claimed its first medal at the 2026 Asian Games after Karachi-based mixed martial artist Asim Khan secured bronze in his event.

Khan was beaten in the mixed martial arts semifinal, but his place in the last four guaranteed him a bronze medal under the competition format. The official medal ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday.

Team leader Dalawar Khan said Asim had opened Pakistan’s medal tally at the Games and expressed hope that the country would add more medals in the remaining competitions.

The bronze marks Asim Khan’s first Asian Games medal. He previously won a bronze at the World Championships and a silver at the Asian level.

The fighter is expected to return to Karachi on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Pakistan’s athletes continued their campaigns across several disciplines. Swimmer Hamza Asif finished second in his heat of the men’s 50-metre freestyle but ended the event in 30th place overall.

Pakistan’s mixed triathlon team was listed as NDF in the final after Ali Hassan failed to complete the event within the prescribed time. Sana Arif, Anisha and Mustaghis Noor completed the swimming, cycling and running legs respectively.

Coach Abdul Ghaffar Gujjar said he was satisfied with the team’s performances, noting that Pakistan finished 14th in the overall ranking.

Pakistan also suffered defeats in mixed doubles soft tennis against Chinese Taipei, South Korea and the Philippines. The women’s table tennis team was meanwhile beaten by India in the group stage.