Sakshi Chaudhary Shines in Asian Games Boxing Debut

Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary showcased her skills by defeating Aira Villegas from the Philippines, a bronze medalist from the Paris Olympics, with a unanimous 5-0 score in the women's 51kg round of 32 at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday.

Having recently clinched gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and holding a World Boxing Cup gold, Sakshi delivered a strong performance against a formidable opponent.

Starting from the red corner, she began the match with an aggressive stance, landing a series of powerful punches in the first round, which she won 5-0, as reported by ESPN. Although Villegas came out more forcefully in the second round, Sakshi countered effectively, landing clean shots to secure another 5-0 round victory, solidifying her lead.

Celebrating her 23rd birthday on the same day, Sakshi adopted a strategic approach in the final round, choosing her moments to strike while maintaining her lead. Despite Villegas landing a significant left hook, it was insufficient to alter the match's outcome, allowing Sakshi to claim a unanimous decision win.

Sakshi is set to compete against Kazakhstan's Alua Balkibekova in the round of 16 on Thursday. Additionally, India's Jadumani Singh will face Nepal's Chandra Bahadur Thapa in the men's 55kg round of 32 at 10:30 am IST, according to ESPN.

On Day 3, Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane secured fourth place in the 10m air rifle mixed team final after qualifying for the gold medal match, having finished second in the qualification round.

The men's kabaddi team of India achieved a resounding 63-31 victory over South Korea in their Group A match.

In swimming, the team comprising Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston, and Dhanush Suresh finished seventh overall in the men's 4x100m medley relay heats, qualifying for the final.

In soft tennis, Jay Meena triumphed over Pakistan's Hussain Arain with a score of 4-0 in the men's singles Group D, while Aadhya Tiwari faced a 1-4 defeat against Thailand's Alisha Ziegler in the women's singles Group D.

Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam placed ninth in the women's Nanquan final in wushu, and fencers Sachin and Hemash Singh finished fourth in Pool 1 and Pool 5, respectively, in the men's individual foil event.

Aryan Nehra secured fourth place in the men's 1500m freestyle final B.

Chetan Bhatt lost in the men's 84kg kumite bronze medal match, and Alisha Choudhary was defeated 1-6 by Indonesia's Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani in the women's kumite -55kg round of 16.

India faced a 0-3 loss against Malaysia in the men's team Regu Group B sepaktakraw competition.

In equestrian dressage, Ashish Limaye and Willy Be Dun finished 13th, Arjan Nagra and Cooley Goodwood placed 23rd, while Fouaad Mirza and Camouflage 38 ended up 26th.

India had a successful Day 2, with Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil, and Parth Mane winning silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event. Dhillon and Patil later added individual medals, while MMA fighter Suchika Tariyal also secured a bronze.