AICHI-NAGOYA, Japan | September 23, 2026 — Asian Games 2026 Live action on September 23 has already produced major developments for India, with Manu Bhaker qualifying for the women’s 10m air pistol final, the women’s skeet team winning bronze and Jay Meena assuring India of its first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis.
And the biggest contests are still to come.
Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu will compete in the women’s 49kg weightlifting final at 10:00 AM IST, while India’s men’s badminton team will face defending powerhouse China in the semifinal at 11:30 AM IST.
India will also remain in medal contention across shooting, rowing, canoe sprint, hockey, wushu and several other events through Wednesday.
Manu Bhaker Storms Into 10m Air Pistol Final
Manu Bhaker produced an impressive recovery after a relatively slow start in the women’s 10m air pistol qualification.
The double Olympic medallist finished with a score of 579-20x, securing third place in qualification and a spot in the eight-shooter final.
She improved sharply during the later series and kept herself firmly inside the qualification zone.
The women’s 10m air pistol final begins at 9:00 AM IST.
However, Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh could not join Bhaker in the individual final.
Esha finished with 572-12x, while Suruchi ended with 568-12x.
India Miss Women’s Air Pistol Team Medal by the Narrowest Margin
India came agonisingly close to winning another shooting medal in the women’s 10m air pistol team event.
China took gold with 1735-56x, South Korea finished second with 1730-55x, and Vietnam secured bronze with 1719-46x.
India also scored 1719, but its lower inner-10 count of 44x left the team in fourth place.
That made the margin particularly painful.
Still, Manu Bhaker now has another opportunity to bring India onto the podium in the individual final.
India Win Bronze in Women’s Skeet Team Event
India did not have to wait long for a shooting medal on Wednesday.
The women’s skeet team of Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan and Parinaaz Dhaliwal finished with a combined score of 331 to secure the bronze medal.
The result added another shooting medal to India’s Asian Games campaign.
Attention will now turn to the individual skeet events later in the day.
Jay Meena Creates History in Soft Tennis
India also received a surprise medal boost from soft tennis.
Jay Meena defeated the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit 4-3 in a dramatic men’s singles quarterfinal.
Meena trailed 3-5 in the deciding game before winning four consecutive points to complete the comeback.
The victory took him into the semifinals and guaranteed India its first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis, because both losing semifinalists receive bronze.
He will now chase a place in the gold-medal match.
Rowing Brings Encouraging Results
India’s rowers also made a promising start.
Balraj Panwar finished third in his men’s single sculls heat with a time of 6:52.84, advancing to Final A.
The men’s double sculls pairing of Satnam Singh and Salman Khan finished second in their heat in 6:15.63, also qualifying for Final A.
India’s women’s four crew later finished third in its heat with a time of 6:45.75 to qualify for Final A.
More rowing events are scheduled later on Wednesday.
Mirabai Chanu Takes Centre Stage at 10 AM
After shooting, India’s attention will shift to weightlifting superstar Mirabai Chanu.
She competes in the women’s 49kg Group A final at 10:00 AM IST.
The Asian Games medal remains one of the major honours missing from Chanu’s decorated career.
That makes Wednesday’s competition particularly significant.
Chanu will face another powerful Asian field as she attempts to add an Asian Games medal to her Olympic and Commonwealth Games achievements.
India vs China Badminton Semifinal at 11:30 AM
One of India’s biggest contests of the day comes in men’s team badminton.
India will face China in the semifinal at 11:30 AM IST.
The Indian men have already guaranteed themselves a medal after beating hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ayush Shetty delivered the three victories that sent India into the last four.
Because semifinal losers receive bronze, India already has a medal secured.
However, victory over China would send the team into the gold-medal contest.
India Women’s Hockey Team Face Thailand
India’s women’s hockey team also returns to action on Wednesday.
India will face Thailand at 11:30 AM IST in Pool B.
The Indian team enters the match after making a strong start to its campaign and will look to maintain momentum as the tournament approaches the knockout stages.
More Shooting Medals Up for Grabs
The shooting range remains one of the busiest venues for India today.
After Manu Bhaker’s 10m air pistol final, the women’s skeet individual final is scheduled for 11:00 AM IST, subject to qualification.
The men’s skeet final follows at 12:30 PM IST.
Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad Khan are among India’s competitors in men’s skeet.
India has already built much of its early medal haul through shooting, making Wednesday another important day at the range.
Canoe Sprint Athletes Advance
India also progressed in canoe sprint.
Megha Pradeep finished fifth in the women’s canoe single 200m heat in 49.675 seconds and advanced to the semifinal.
The men’s kayak four team also reached Final A after finishing third in its heat.
Parvathy Geetha and Soniya Devi Phairembam progressed from the women’s kayak double 500m heats as well.
Big Events Still Ahead for India Today
Several important medal opportunities remain through the day.
9:00 AM — Manu Bhaker, Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final
10:00 AM — Mirabai Chanu, Women’s 49kg Weightlifting Final
11:00 AM — Women’s Skeet Final
11:30 AM — India vs China, Men’s Badminton Team Semifinal
11:30 AM — India vs Thailand, Women’s Hockey
12:30 PM — Men’s Skeet Final
1:30 PM — Gyaneshwari Yadav, Women’s 53kg Weightlifting Final
2:30 PM onwards — Roshibina Devi, Women’s 60kg Wushu Sanda Semifinal
Timings are in IST and competition schedules can change.
India’s September 23 Campaign Has Already Come Alive
The morning has already delivered drama.
Manu Bhaker recovered strongly to enter a shooting final. India missed another pistol team medal by only two inner-10s. The women’s skeet team then added a bronze.
Meanwhile, Jay Meena created history by guaranteeing India its first Asian Games soft tennis medal.
But September 23 could become even bigger.
With Mirabai Chanu chasing an elusive Asian Games podium and India preparing for a heavyweight badminton semifinal against China, the medal action is only beginning.
INVC NEWS will continue updating this story as results arrive.
