Asian Games 2026 Day 8: Anahat, Abhay secure historic squash silvers; athletics and boxing deliver more medals
On September 27 at the Asian Games 2026, India recorded multiple podium finishes as Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh claimed historic silver medals in squash, while athletics produced medals for Ancy Sojan, Parul Chaudhary, Tejaswin and Harita and three boxing medals were confirmed.
India entered Day 8 having doubled its medal haul and reached 30 medals overall after a strong Saturday, when the contingent collected seven medals and moved back into the top 10 on the table. The tally stood at 4 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze heading into Sunday, which featured several planned medal opportunities across athletics, shooting, boxing and badminton.
In squash, Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh finished with silver medals, a result described in coverage as historic for the Indian pair.
Athletics contributed multiple medals: Ancy Sojan and Parul Chaudhary were among the medallists, with Ancy competing in the women’s long jump and Parul in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, and Tejaswin and Harita also earning podium finishes for India in athletics events.
Boxing produced three confirmed medals for India. Earlier previews had identified Parveen Hooda, Sachin Siwach and Ankush as boxers who could secure medals by winning their respective quarter-final bouts and reaching the semi-finals.
Badminton presented further medal chances, with PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and the doubles pairing Treesa Jolly–Gayatri Gopichand each one victory away from confirming medals. India’s men’s volleyball team were scheduled to begin their Pool C campaign on September 27 against Vietnam, while Harjinder Kaur was set to contest in the women’s 69kg event.
Other scheduled Indian participation included the women’s hockey team in their final Pool B match against Singapore, with India already having secured a place in the semi-finals; shooter Manu Bhaker in the women’s 25m pistol individual precision and team precision events; and a slate of track-and-field entries.
India’s competition day began at 4 am IST with the women’s marathon race walk featuring Priyanka Goswami and Manju Rani. The evening session was due to include Shaili Singh in the women’s long jump, Sarvesh Kushare in the men’s high jump, Animesh Kujur in the men’s 200m final following his earlier disappointment in the 100m, and Parul Chaudhary returning for the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
India were set to contest at least 10 medal events on Sunday, a total that organisers noted could increase with additional wins in shooting, badminton and other sports.
