From a long-awaited Asian Games medal for Mirabai Chanu to a record-breaking hockey performance and a high-stakes badminton semifinal, Wednesday has quickly emerged as another significant day for India at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. India entered the day looking to build on its first gold medal of the Games, secured by the women’s cricket team against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, the medal tally had already moved to 11, including one gold, five silver and five bronze, with Mirabai Chanu adding another silver to the count in the women’s 49kg weightlifting final.
For Chanu, however, the colour of the medal mattered less than the fact that there was finally one around her neck. The Olympic silver medallist had narrowly missed the podium at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, finishing fourth after an injury prevented her from completing her final clean and jerk attempt. Three years later, the 30-year-old finally completed the missing chapter in her decorated career.
Chanu lifted 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 198kg, securing silver in Nagoya. The result also ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal, with Karnam Malleswari’s 1998 silver having been the country’s previous medal in the sport at the Games. The medal also completes Chanu’s collection across the major multi-sport and world stages. She is an Olympic silver medallist, a world champion and a multiple-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and now has an Asian Games medal to add to that list.
While Chanu delivered on the weightlifting platform, India’s women’s hockey team produced another extraordinary performance in Gifu. After opening their campaign with victories over Uzbekistan and Indonesia, India demolished Thailand 20-1 to maintain their perfect record in Pool B. The headline belonged to Deepika Sehrawat, who scored nine goals, setting a new record for the most goals by a woman in a single Asian Games hockey match.
Deepika had already scored eight goals against Uzbekistan, meaning she has now produced back-to-back extraordinary scoring performances. India finished the pool stage with 58 goals scored across three matches, conceding only two. Rutuja Pisal also completed a hat-trick against Thailand, while Navneet Kaur scored four times and captain Salima Tete was among the other scorers. Thailand managed a consolation goal late in the match, but India’s dominance was never seriously threatened.
The day also carried considerable weight in badminton. India’s men’s team entered its semifinal against China after defeating Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinal, a victory that guaranteed the country at least a bronze medal in the team event. Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty had delivered the quarterfinal win. Against China, Lakshya Sen faced Shi Yuqi in the opening singles rubber before Satwik and Chirag took on Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang. At the time of writing, the doubles pair had levelled their contest at one game apiece after winning 21-11, 22-20 following a tense finish to the second game.
Elsewhere, Gyaneshwari Yadav began her women’s 53kg weightlifting campaign with a successful 84kg snatch, keeping India’s medal hopes alive in another weight category. The day also marked the beginning of Manu Bhaker’s Asian Games campaign, with the Olympic double medallist competing in the women’s 10m air pistol. Shooting remains one of India’s major medal-producing disciplines at these Games, having already contributed significantly to the country’s tally. Wednesday has demonstrated the breadth of India’s medal challenge at Aichi-Nagoya. The focus is not restricted to one discipline or a handful of established names.
Mirabai Chanu’s silver is significant because it closes a long-standing gap in her career. Deepika’s hockey record points towards India’s growing attacking strength, while the men’s badminton team’s semifinal appearance guarantees another medal opportunity. The bigger picture is therefore one of sustained competition across disciplines. India arrived at these Games after winning a record 107 medals at Hangzhou 2023, and the early days in Aichi-Nagoya have already produced medals across shooting, cricket, MMA, soft tennis and weightlifting.
With the Games running until October 4, the medal table will continue to change. For India, Wednesday has already provided three different reasons for optimism: a long-awaited medal, a record-breaking performance and another guaranteed medal opportunity.
