Indian Athletes Gear Up for a Thrilling Day at the 2026 Asian Games

On Monday, the Indian team is set for an action-packed day at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with athletes competing in over a dozen sports. The day kicks off early with events in surfing, archery, and shooting, followed by crucial team competitions, knockout rounds, and finals in athletics.

Surfing begins at 07:28 JST (03:58 IST) at Long Beach in Tahara, featuring Sivaraj Babu against ALCISO Jayuard from the Philippines in the men's shortboard Round 3 Heat 2. Kishore Kumar will also compete later against China's MA Wensong.

In archery, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav and Thirumuru Ganesh will participate in the men's compound individual 1/16 elimination round starting at 08:15 JST (04:45 IST). Maniratnam is also in the mix, as Indian archers aim to advance to the 1/8 round.

Shooting presents another significant medal chance, with Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Rahi Sarnobat competing in the women's 25m pistol team final and individual qualification rapid stage from 09:40 JST (06:10 IST). The men's trap team, including Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi, and Shapath Bharadwaj, along with the women's team of Neeru, Manisha Keer, and Aashima Ahlawat, will also begin Qualification Day 2.

In tennis, Sumit Nagal will face South Korea's Seongchan Hong in the men's singles second round, while Dhakshineswar Suresh competes against Indonesia's Gunawan Trismuwantara.

Team events will be prominent, with the Indian women's sepaktakraw team going up against Japan, the men's volleyball team challenging Hong Kong, and the women's squash team meeting China.

The sailing events commence at 11:00 JST (07:30 IST), featuring Prince Noble and Manu Francis in the men's 49er skiff, Vishnu Saravanan in the men's ILCA 7, Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma in the women's 49er FX, and Nethra Kumanan in the women's ILCA 6.

In combat sports, Pincky Balhara will start her journey in the women's -78kg Kurash quarterfinals at 11:30 JST (08:00 IST).

The afternoon will feature significant knockout matches, with the men's cricket team facing Afghanistan in Quarterfinal 2 at 13:30 JST (10:00 IST). Additionally, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain will compete against South Korea's Seong Suyeon in the women's 75kg boxing quarterfinals.

The women's 25m pistol trio of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Rahi Sarnobat will aim for a spot in the individual final, scheduled for 14:15 JST (10:45 IST), pending qualification.

The evening will see the Indian men's hockey team take on Bangladesh in Pool A at 19:00 JST (15:30 IST). The squash teams will continue their campaigns, with the women's side facing Japan and the men's team competing against South Korea.

Boxing will showcase further Indian talent, with Priya facing Tajikistan's Samadova Mijgona in the women's 60kg quarterfinals and Kapil Pokhariya taking on South Korea's Kim Gichae in the men's 90kg quarterfinals.

The most anticipated medal rush is expected at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, where India's track and field athletes will participate in several finals.

Seema and Sanya Yadav will kick off the athletics medal events in the women's discus throw final at 18:05 JST (14:35 IST).

Following them, Vithya Ramraj and Anu Raghavan will compete in the women's 400m hurdles final, with Santosh Kumar and Tamilarasan in the men's 400m hurdles final.

All eyes will be on Avinash Mukund Sable at 19:47 JST (16:17 IST) as he competes in the men's 3000m steeplechase final.

The men's long jump final will feature Sreeshankar Murali and David Solomon Patturaj, while Yoonus Shah and Gulveer Singh will compete in the men's 1500m final.

India will also have Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh in the men's javelin throw final, while Parul Chaudhary and Seema will compete in the women's 5000m final.

The athletics program will conclude with relay events, featuring the Indian men's 4x400m relay team in Round 1 at 21:31 JST (18:01 IST) and the women's 4x100m relay final at 22:04 JST (18:34 IST).

With medal events spanning shooting, athletics, combat sports, and various other disciplines, September 28 is poised to be one of the busiest days for the Indian contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.