India enjoyed a memorable day at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, adding four medals to its tally on Monday, September 21. Three of those medals came from the shooting range, while Suchika Tariyal created history by securing India's first-ever Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts.
The four-medal haul took India's overall tally to six medals, four silver and two bronze. Shooting has contributed five of those six medals, underlining the strong start made by the Indian shooters at the continental showpiece.
The day began with another strong performance from India in shooting as Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil and Parth Mane combined to win silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event.
The Indian trio produced a combined score of 1890.1
points, finishing behind China, which posted 1899.0.
It was an important medal for 21-year-old Dhillon, former world champion Rudrankksh and teenage shooter Parth Mane, who helped India add another silver to its growing shooting collection.
The performance also set the stage for a dramatic individual final later in the day, where Dhillon and Rudrankksh would once again finish on the podium.
Dhillon then produced another impressive performance in the men's 10m air rifle individual final, claiming the silver medal.
The young Indian shooter finished with 252.4 points, behind China's Sheng Lihao, who won gold with 254.2, a new Asian Games record.
For Dhillon, it was a particularly special achievement as he made his Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya. His individual silver also gave him two medals in a single day.
The result capped a remarkable rise for the young shooter, who had been competing at junior level until recently before making his breakthrough on the senior international stage.
India's second individual medal in the men's 10m air rifle came through Rudrankksh Patil, who secured bronze with a score of 230.9.
The former world champion was in contention for the top positions throughout the final before eventually finishing behind Sheng Lihao and Dhillon.
For Rudrankksh, the bronze marked another Asian Games podium finish after he was part of India's gold-medal-winning men's 10m air rifle team at the previous edition in Hangzhou.
The double podium of Dhillon and Rudrankksh was another significant moment for Indian shooting, with two Indians finishing inside the top three of the same individual event.
The fourth medal of the day came from a different discipline, but it was arguably the most historic.
Suchika Tariyal won bronze in the women's Traditional 60kg MMA event, becoming the first Indian to win a mixed martial arts medal at the Asian Games. MMA is making its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Tariyal booked her place in the semifinals after defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Reaching the last four guaranteed her a medal, with both losing semifinalists receiving bronze.
Her semifinal against Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo ended in unusual circumstances. After the Indian camp challenged the initial decision, the bout was declared a draw. Under the applicable rules, the winner was then determined using the athletes' morning weigh-in, with Teo advancing because she was around 700 grams lighter.
Tariyal therefore finished with bronze, but her achievement remains historic as India's first Asian Games medal in MMA.
With four medals added on Monday, India now has six medals at the Asian Games 2026, four silver and two bronze.
Shooting has been the biggest contributor so far, with five medals, while Suchika Tariyal's historic MMA bronze has opened India's account in a new discipline.
India had begun its medal campaign with two silver medals in women's 10m air rifle on the previous day, with Elavenil Valarivan winning individual silver and also helping India claim team silver alongside Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod Kochalumkal.
The four-medal haul on Monday has therefore given the Indian contingent plenty of momentum early in the Games, with the shooting squad once again at the centre of the medal rush and Suchika Tariyal adding a landmark moment in MMA.
