Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
Aichi-Nagoya, Sep 22: India added four more medals to its tally on the second day of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with shooting contributing three medals and Suchika Tariyal creating history by becoming the country's first Asian Games medallist in mixed martial arts.
Himanshu Dhillon won the silver medal in the men's 10-metre air rifle individual event, while Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil secured bronze. The duo, along with 18-year-old Parth Rakesh Mane, also won silver in the men's 10-metre air rifle team event.
The Indian trio recorded 1898.4 points, finishing behind China's Sheng Lihao, Changhong Zhang and Sihan Ma, who scored 1899.0 to win gold and set a new world record.
The three shooting medals took India's shooting tally to five, comprising four silver and one bronze. On the opening day, Elavenil Valarivan had won silver in the women's individual 10-metre air rifle event, while the Indian women's team of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod also secured silver.
Suchika Tariyal won bronze in the women's traditional 60kg MMA category, becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts. She lost 0-2 to Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo in the semifinal. Her historic bronze came after the bout ended in a draw, with MMA rules allowing the lighter fighter to advance.
The 36-year-old Suchika, from Kiloi village in Haryana's Rohtak district, is a 2024 world champion in jiu-jitsu and has represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2022 Asian Games.
With the four medals added on Monday, India's overall tally stood at six — four silver and two bronze — after two days of competition. The country was yet to win a gold medal.
India also produced strong performances in several other disciplines. The women's hockey team defeated Indonesia 17-1 in Pool B, while the women's and men's kabaddi teams beat Bangladesh 42-21 and Japan 49-24 respectively.
In badminton, India's men's team defeated Bangladesh 3-0, with Lakshya Sen, K Srikanth and Ayush Shetty winning their singles matches. India's men's and women's table tennis teams also recorded 3-0 victories over Pakistan.
In boxing, Sumit Kundu defeated Thailand's Bunjong Sinsiri 5-0 in the men's 70kg category, while wushu athletes Roshibina Devi and Aryan advanced to their respective quarterfinals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Rakesh Mane for winning silver in the men's 10-metre air rifle team event. He praised their focus, consistency and teamwork.
Modi also congratulated Dhillon on his individual silver medal, appreciating his composure and accuracy under pressure, and hailed Patil for his focus and discipline in securing bronze.