Asian Games 2026: Five Indian athletes who returned to the podium with a bang after missing out in 2023

India ended the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.

While the overall tally was below the record 107 medals won at Hangzhou in 2023, the campaign also featured several athletes who turned previous disappointments into podium finishes in Japan.

Here are five Indian athletes who missed the podium at the 2023 Asian Games but secured medals in Aichi-Nagoya.

Mirabai Chanu

Mirabai Chanu finally secured her first Asian Games medal in Aichi-Nagoya, winning silver in the women's 49kg category. She lifted a combined 198kg to finish behind North Korea's Ri Song Gum.

The medal came three years after Chanu finished fourth in the same weight category at Hangzhou. She had competed despite a thigh injury and narrowly missed the podium. Her silver in Japan 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 podium finish.

Manpreet Kaur

Shot putter Manpreet Kaur moved from fifth place in Hangzhou to the podium in Aichi-Nagoya. She produced a best throw of 17.17m to win bronze in the women's shot put.

Kaur had finished fifth at the 2023 Asian Games with 16.25m, according to World Athletics' official results. World Athletics Her bronze in Japan was her first Asian Games medal and made her only the third Indian woman to win a medal in the event at the continental Games.

Pranavi Urs

Pranavi Urs went from a fourth-place team finish in Hangzhou to history in Aichi-Nagoya. The Indian golfer won the women's individual gold medal, becoming the first Indian woman to claim an Asian Games golf gold in the individual event.

At Hangzhou, Urs finished 13th in the individual competition, while India's women's team finished fourth. The Times of India Her 2026 victory therefore represented a major improvement from her previous Asian Games campaign.

Jay Meena

Jay Meena delivered one of India's firsts at Aichi-Nagoya by winning bronze in men's singles soft tennis. The medal was India's first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport.

Meena had competed at previous Asian Games without reaching the podium. His 2026 bronze came after he progressed to the semifinals, giving India its first medal in soft tennis at the continental event.

Baranica Elangovan

Baranica Elangovan created history in the women's pole vault by winning bronze with a clearance of 4.15m. She shared third place with Kazakhstan's Polina Ivanova after both athletes cleared the same height and recorded identical failures.

The medal was particularly significant because India had never previously won an Asian Games medal in pole vault. Elangovan's bronze therefore represented India's first podium finish in the event at the continental Games.