Asian Games 2026: India’s medal contenders for September 21 in Aichi-Nagoya
The Indian contingent will seek additional medals at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on September 21, with a concentration of chances in shooting and swimming on Day 2.
After an opening day that produced podium finishes, India aims to build its medal tally on the second day of competition, with several events offering direct progression from qualification rounds into medal-deciding sessions.
In Men’s 10m Air Rifle, India will field Rudrankksh Patil, Arjun Babuta and Divyansh Singh Panwar; Patil is a former world champion, Babuta an Olympian and Panwar an experienced international campaigner. The trio entered the Games as heavy contenders to challenge likely East Asian opponents China and South Korea for the team gold, and all three possess the scoring depth to breach the 630-plus threshold required to reach the top eight.
Shotgun action features the qualification stages of Men’s and Women’s Skeet, where Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Gurjoat Siingh Khangura will lead the men’s challenge. Naruka is identified in the India squad as the Hangzhou 2022 silver medallist, while the women’s challenge will include Paris 2024 mixed skeet finalist Maheshwari Chauhan alongside Raiza Dhillon.
Swimming entries to watch include Olympian Srihari Nataraj in the Men’s 50m backstroke, an event described as his sprint specialty where starts and underwater work decide margins in hundredths of a second. Akash Mani is entered in the Men’s 50m Freestyle, Danush Suresh in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke, and India will also contest the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay; Nataraj is noted as India’s best outside chance to reach the final and contend for a podium against rivals from Japan and China.
Competition on September 21 opens with the Men’s 10m Air Rifle qualification at 6:15 AM IST, a session that also serves as the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team final; the individual final for that event is scheduled for 9:00 AM IST. Shotgun qualifications for Men’s and Women’s Skeet begin at 6:30 AM IST, swimming heats start from 6:30 AM IST, and the Men’s 50m backstroke final is set for 1:30 PM IST.