Asian Games 2026 Day 8 turned into another productive day for the Indian contingent in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with India adding seven medals across athletics and squash on Sunday, September 27. The Asian Games 2026 Day 8 action saw Indian athletes win two silver and three bronze medals in athletics, while Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh secured silver medals in squash. India also received a boost in boxing as Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal and Narender Berwal advanced to the semifinals in their respective categories, guaranteeing three more medals for the country.
The Asian Games 2026 Day 8 medal haul took India’s overall tally to 37 medals, comprising four gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze medals. Despite adding seven medals during the day, India slipped from 10th to 12th in the overall medal standings because the country did not add a gold medal while several nations above it continued to increase their gold-medal totals. China remained at the top of the table with 119 gold medals and 205 medals overall, followed by Japan and South Korea.
Athletics emerged as the biggest contributor for India during Asian Games 2026 Day 8, producing five medals. Ancy Sojan and Sarvesh Kushare won silver medals, while Parul Chaudhary, Harita Bhadra and Tejaswin Shankar secured bronze medals in their respective events. The performances added significant depth to India’s athletics campaign and provided several memorable moments during the day’s competition.
Ancy Sojan came extremely close to winning the women’s long jump gold medal. She produced a 6.53-metre effort in the fifth round, which put her temporarily at the top of the standings. However, China’s Huang Yingying produced a 6.55-metre jump with her final attempt and moved ahead by just two centimetres. Ancy therefore finished with the silver medal after a closely contested final.
Sarvesh Kushare also finished second in the men’s high jump. He cleared 2.25 metres on his second attempt, but Chinese Taipei’s Chao Hsuan-Fu had already cleared the same height on his first attempt. The result gave Sarvesh the silver medal and added another podium finish to India’s athletics campaign on Asian Games 2026 Day 8.
Parul Chaudhary delivered another important performance in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. She clocked 9:08.67 to win the bronze medal and also set a new national record. The performance improved on her previous personal best and gave Parul her second Asian Games medal in the steeplechase after she won silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won gold in 9:04.36, while Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto Tanui took silver.
Harita Bhadra also produced a strong finish in the women’s 200m, winning bronze with a timing of 23.20 seconds. She finished just 0.01 seconds ahead of Japan’s Ido Abigeirufuka. Singapore’s Shanti Pereira won the gold medal in 22.78 seconds, while China’s Chen Yujie secured silver in 22.93 seconds. The Asian Games 2026 Day 8 result marked another athletics medal for India.
Tejaswin Shankar completed India’s five-medal athletics haul with a bronze medal in the decathlon. After competing across the demanding two-day event, Tejaswin finished with 7,934 points. He also won the final 1500m event of the decathlon in 4:33.09. Japan’s Yuma Maruyama won gold with 8,123 points, while China’s Xinghua Chen took silver.
The Asian Games 2026 Day 8 schedule also featured two major squash finals involving Indian players. Anahat Singh competed against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women’s singles final, while Abhay Singh faced Malaysia’s Ng Eain Yow in the men’s singles final. Both Indian players eventually finished with silver medals after losing their respective finals.
Anahat Singh lost 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 to Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women’s singles final. Despite missing out on the gold medal, Anahat created a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games squash singles final. Her silver medal was therefore one of the notable achievements of Asian Games 2026 Day 8.
Abhay Singh was beaten by Ng Eain Yow in the men’s singles final. The Malaysian player won 11-9, 11-5, 11-5, giving Malaysia both squash singles gold medals. The results meant India continued to wait for its first Asian Games squash singles gold medal, while both Indian finalists returned with silver.
Indian boxing provided another major development during Asian Games 2026 Day 8. Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal and Narender Berwal all reached the semifinals of their respective categories, ensuring that each boxer would receive at least a bronze medal. Parveen defeated Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova by a 5-0 decision in the women’s 65kg quarterfinal.
Ankush Panghal also recorded a 5-0 victory, defeating Tajikistan’s Nekruz Salimov in the men’s 80kg quarterfinal. The result guaranteed Ankush a medal on his Asian Games debut. Narender Berwal completed India’s trio of assured boxing medals after stopping Thailand’s Adthapong Saengtep in the men’s 90+kg quarterfinal in less than two minutes.
Not every Indian result went India’s way during Asian Games 2026 Day 8. Badminton saw several Indian players exit the competition in the quarterfinal stage. PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda, Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Tanisha Crasto-Dhruv Kapila were among those who could not progress to the semifinals. India’s badminton campaign had produced three medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, including men’s doubles gold through Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
There were positive results for India in team sports as well. The women’s hockey team recorded a 7-0 victory over Singapore, while the men’s volleyball team defeated Vietnam 3-0. Indian archers also progressed across all six team events contested during the day, including the men’s and women’s compound teams, compound mixed team, recurve men’s and women’s teams and recurve mixed team events.
India also progressed in other disciplines during Asian Games 2026 Day 8. Mohammed Afsal qualified for the men’s 800m final, while India’s women’s 4x100m relay team of Abinaya Rajarajan, Tamanna, Sneha Sathyanarayana and Sudeshna Shivankar topped its heat to reach the final. Indian athletes also remained involved in surfing, shooting, fencing, sepak takraw, kurash and equestrian competitions.
The updated Asian Games 2026 medal tally at the end of Day 8 placed India 12th with 37 medals — four gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze. China led the standings with 119 gold and 205 medals overall, while Japan occupied second place and South Korea third. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Bahrain, Iran, North Korea and Malaysia were also ahead of India in the gold-medal standings at the latest update.
Although India did not win a gold medal on Asian Games 2026 Day 8, the seven-medal haul added to the country’s overall medal count and several athletes reached important stages of their competitions. The three assured boxing medals will also be formally reflected in the medal tally once the relevant competition results are completed. With athletics continuing to provide medals and several knockout events still underway, India’s campaign now moves into another important phase of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Asian Games 2026 Day 8 therefore produced a mixed but substantial set of results for India. Athletics contributed five medals, squash added two silver medals, and boxing secured three guaranteed medals through semifinal qualification. At the same time, India’s position in the overall medal table changed because the standings are primarily ordered by gold medals. With several events still remaining, Indian athletes will continue competing across athletics, boxing, shooting, archery, hockey, surfing, badminton and other disciplines in the days ahead.
