Aichi-Nagoya: India enjoyed a strong Day 8 at the Asian Games 2026, winning gold medals in both the men’s and women’s kabaddi events and adding further medals in athletics, shooting and squash as the country’s medal tally climbed to 28.

India finished the day with four gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals, taking the overall tally to 28. The two kabaddi victories were the major highlights, with the women’s team defeating Iran 37-34 before the men’s team also overcame Iran 40-34 in their respective finals.

The day’s campaign had begun with a historic silver medal for Sawan Barwal in the men’s marathon. Barwal became India’s first Asian Games marathon medallist since 1982, ending a 44-year wait for a medal in the event.

India clinches two kabaddi gold medals

India’s women’s kabaddi team produced a hard-fought performance against Iran to win the gold medal. The Indian side prevailed 37-34 in the final at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium.

The match remained competitive throughout, with Iran mounting a strong challenge in the second half. India had established an important advantage before the break and managed to hold on as Iran attempted a late comeback. The victory gave India the women’s kabaddi title at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

The men’s team completed the kabaddi double later in the day. India defeated Iran 40-34 to retain the men’s title and secure another gold medal.

The men’s victory also continued India’s strong record in Asian Games kabaddi. It was reported as India’s ninth men’s kabaddi gold in 10 editions of the competition.

With both teams winning their finals, India added two gold medals on the same day and strengthened its position in the medal standings.

Sawan Barwal ends 44-year marathon wait

Sawan Barwal produced one of the day’s most significant performances for India by winning silver in the men’s marathon.

Barwal clocked 2:11:37 to finish second and become India’s first Asian Games marathon medallist since 1982. His performance also saw him improve on his own national record in the event.

Kartik Jayaraj Karkera also competed in the marathon and finished 17th.

Barwal’s silver was India’s first medal of Day 8 and added another athletics medal to the country’s growing tally.

Shooting adds another silver

India also secured a silver medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.

The Indian trio of Tilottama Sen, Vidarsa K Vinod Kochalumkal and Ashi Chouksey finished second in the qualification stage with a score of 1,763 with 90 inner tens, earning the silver medal.

The individual competition also featured Indian shooters Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa K Vinod. Tilottama finished fourth in the individual final, while Vidarsa had earlier exited in fifth position.

The result added another medal to India’s strong shooting campaign at the Games.

Anahat Singh reaches squash final

India also had a memorable day in squash, with Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh advancing to their respective singles finals.

Anahat produced a remarkable comeback against Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in the women’s singles semi-final. After losing the opening two games, the 18-year-old Indian fought back to win 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3.

The victory assured Anahat of at least a silver medal and set up a gold-medal match against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam.

In the men’s singles, Abhay Singh defeated Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 to reach the final. The win made him only the second Indian man to reach an Asian Games men’s singles squash final after Saurav Ghosal.

The two Indian finalists will compete for gold on Day 9.

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan win squash bronze

India also secured a medal in mixed doubles squash through Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar.

The Indian pair lost their semi-final against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi and settled for the bronze medal. Their result added another medal to India’s squash campaign.

India therefore ended Day 8 with medals secured across multiple disciplines, including athletics, shooting, kabaddi and squash.

Badminton and other events

India’s badminton campaign also saw mixed results during the day. Lakshya Sen was eliminated after losing his men’s singles match against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in a three-game contest.

PV Sindhu, meanwhile, continued her campaign in the women’s singles competition, while other Indian shuttlers remained involved in their respective events.

In athletics, India also continued to compete across track and field events, while archers began their qualification campaigns in recurve and compound disciplines.

The day’s results came after India had entered Day 8 with 23 medals. The country had two gold, eight silver and 13 bronze medals at the end of Day 7, before adding substantially to the tally on Saturday.

India enters top 10 with 28 medals

The two kabaddi gold medals proved decisive in India’s climb up the medal table. At the conclusion of Day 8, India had four gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals for a total of 28.

The gold-medal tally includes India’s women’s cricket title, the mixed-team 10m air pistol gold won by Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh, and the two kabaddi titles won on Day 8.

India’s silver medals have come across shooting, athletics, weightlifting, wushu and other disciplines, while the bronze medal tally includes shooting, athletics, rowing, soft tennis, table tennis and other events.

With Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh assured of at least silver in squash and several medal events scheduled for Day 9, India’s campaign will continue with opportunities across athletics, shooting, badminton, archery and other sports.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will continue until October 4, with Indian athletes competing across multiple disciplines as the medal competition enters its second week.