September 25, 13:23Aaj Tak

Simma achieves historic success at Asian Games in Japan, winning bronze medal in 10,000 meters race

The story of Simma, an athlete from the small village of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh state, is both very touching and full of struggle. This 25-year-old runner, who wrote history by winning bronze in the 10,000-meter distance, did not even inform her 78-year-old mother about the trip to the Asian Games in Japan. The reason was her mother's anxiety.

Simma knew that if her mother learned about her daughter's trip to the Asian Games in Japan, she wouldn't be able to sleep all night. Therefore, Simma decided to keep it a secret, convincing her mother that she was still at the training camp in Bangalore.

After winning the medal, Simma told her mother about her achievement. She mentioned that she has no father, and her mother is quite elderly, around 78 years old. Simma was born when her mother was 45. She noted that her mother gets very nervous when she goes out, which is why she didn't tell her about the trip to the Asian Games in Japan.

Furthermore, her mother suffers from high blood pressure. Under these circumstances, Simma tries not to give her mother too much information when she leaves for training or competitions. Only her elder sister knows about this situation in the family.

Before leaving for Nagoya, Simma provided complete information to her elder sister. Now, after achieving the historic bronze, the hope is that this news has reached her mother.

Simma smiled and speculated that perhaps her sister had already told her mother, or maybe her mother was watching her on television, otherwise her mother might think she was still in Bangalore.

According to Sony Sports Network, Simma Kumari achieved a historic victory by winning bronze in the women's 10,000-meter race, marking the first triumph for the Indian team since the 2010 Asian Games.

Simma's journey was not easy. Simma, a resident of Reta village in Chamba district, lost her father at the age of 12. In childhood, she ran barefoot and herded cattle. When she tried to make athletics her profession in the village, people asked questions, but her mother always supported her daughter.

Today, this same daughter has written her name in history by winning bronze in the 10,000-meter race at the Asian Games representing India. Simma won the bronze medal (32:50.05). She is only the third Indian woman to win a medal in the women's 10,000-meter race at the Asian Games; before her, Pridha Shridharan won gold at the 2010 Asian Games, and Kavita Raut won silver.

For Simma, this is not just a medal, but the fulfillment of a dream. She said:

Similar stories

www.aajtak.inSeptember 23, 10:06

Mirabai Chanu wins silver medal at Asian Games, matching Karnam Malleswari

Indian weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu achieved a historic feat by winning a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games. She secured this award in the women's 49 kg weight class. This marked her first podium finish at the Asian Games.

In the women's 49 kg category, Ri Song Gum from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea won the gold medal. For Mirabai, this achievement is particularly significant because she failed to win a medal and placed fourth at the previous Asian Games; this time, she overcame that barrier by taking silver.

With this medal, Mirabai Chanu has matched the legendary Indian weightlifter Karnam Malleswari. Mirabai is now the second Indian weightlifter to win medals at major international tournaments such as the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Para Games, World Championships, as well as Asian and Para Championships.

In her career, Mirabai already holds an Olympic silver medal, gold and silver medals from the World Championships, as well as numerous gold medals from the Para Games. The silver medal at the Asian Games is another major victory in her brilliant career.

Ri Song Gum, a two-time world champion from North Korea, demonstrated record performance by lifting 215 kg (94 kg + 121 kg) to win gold, completing a triumphant streak of titles at the Asian Games.

Chanu began the competition by successfully completing all three snatch attempts, lifting 83 kg, 85 kg, and 87 kg. Following this, she achieved her best lift in the clean and jerk—111 kg—and after several near-miss attempts, finally secured a medal at the Asian Games.

www.aajtak.inSeptember 23, 08:37

Jai Meena wins India's first bronze medal in tennis at Asian Games

Jai Meena secured India's first bronze medal in tennis at the Asian Games after playing his match on Wednesday. Despite losing to Takuya Kurosaki of Japan 2-4 in the men's singles semi-final, he managed to win the bronze medal.

In the third Asian Games, the 26-year-old Jai Meena was trailing by three games in the match. He managed an impressive comeback by winning two games, but could not maintain the momentum. In the match, which lasted 45 minutes, Kurosaki won with a score of 3-5, 1-4, 1-4, 4-1, 6-4, 1-4.

Jai Meena's story, which brought India its first tennis medal at the Asian Games, resembles a movie plot. He achieved historical success in a sport he never dreamed of being a part of.

Hailing from Dewas, he initially wanted to be a cricketer and dreamed of stepping onto the field with a bat. However, fate led him to a different sport that he might have never heard of before.

When Jai, who grew up in Dewas, visited Painer Public School, soft tennis did not immediately capture his attention. He simply stopped near the court, watched the game, and gradually approached. Then he was assigned the duty of player assistant (ball boy).

He probably had no idea then that the game he perceived as ball collecting would one day put him in Indian sports history.

On Wednesday at the Asian Games 2026 court in Japan, 24-year-old Jai Meena accomplished something no Indian had done before. In the quarter-final against Nugit Sherwin of the Philippines, Jai showed a powerful comeback and advanced to the semi-finals. This secured India's first tennis medal at the Asian Games, but this match proved difficult.

Jai lost the first game 0-4, regained the advantage in the second game 4-2, but then fell behind again in the third game. After this, the Indian athlete won two consecutive games, bringing the score to 3-2 and putting him in a position to close out the match.

However, the Filipino player did not give up. By winning the sixth game 4-2, he moved the match into a decisive tie-break. In the seven-point tie-break, things were not easier for Jai; he was trailing 3-5. Only a few points separated him from the medal and history. This is where the story changed. Jai won four consecutive points and won the tie-break 7-5.

This comeback allowed him to reach the semi-finals and bring India its first tennis medal at the Asian Games (bronze). Nevertheless, in the semi-finals, Jai Meena lost to Takuya Kurosaki of Japan 2-4, and he had to settle for the bronze medal.

This sudden success is not a coincidence for Jai. Four years ago, he also reached the quarter-finals of the men's singles at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. This time, he surpassed that milestone and made history.

At the 2026 Asian Games, he became the only Indian to reach the medal stage in both individual and mixed disciplines. His teammate Aryan Thakur was eliminated in the group stage. Jai's story has been steadily gaining momentum in recent years.

At the 2022 Gujarat National Games, he won a gold medal in the men's singles. In 2025, he became the national champion. His journey at the international level has constantly reached new heights.

At the 2024 World Tennis Championships, as part of Adhi Tiwari, he won a bronze medal in mixed doubles. This was India's first medal title in tennis at the World Championships. The following year, at the Asian Tennis Championships (9th Asian Tennis Championships 2025), he won bronze in the men's singles, bringing India its first title at this competition. In that tournament, besides the singles event, he also won medals in mixed doubles, men's team, and mixed team events.

Interestingly, he started his journey in the world of tennis very early. At the age of just 14, he participated in international competitions in Japan. In the country considered the birthplace of tennis, he is now making history for India at his third Asian Games.

The beauty of Jai's story lies not only in his medal. The real story lies in the moment when his dream of cricket gradually transformed into an interest in tennis. He came to the competition not to play, but to watch. Then he started picking up balls. He observed the players closely. He understood every action on the court. Gradually, this curiosity turned into practice, and practice into a profession.

A guy who dreamed of being a cricketer became a player assistant, and ultimately became an athlete who made history for India on the same court.

Mechanism of system support alongside personal efforts

Not only personal dedication played a role in Jai's journey, but also institutional support. He is an athlete in the Target Athlete Group of the Asian Games (TAGG) and trained in national camps in Ahmedabad and Jammu to prepare for Asian Championships and Asian Games. He also received assistance in the form of overseas experience in Korea and Japan, as well as preparation in Japan. During the 2026 Asian Games cycle, Jai received support of 406,950 rupees through TAGG and 1,879,948 rupees through Assistance to National Sports Federations. These figures are part of his journey. The medal is just one picture of it.

www.aajtak.inSeptember 21, 07:32

13-year-old swimmer Yu Jidi breaks record by winning gold medal at Asian Games

China's 13-year-old swimmer Yu Jidi won the gold medal in the women's 200-meter butterfly event at the Asian Games 2026, delivering an outstanding performance.

In the final match held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, Yu Jidi set a new Asian Games record by clocking a time of 2 minutes 05.08 seconds.

Yu Jidi surpassed the record of 2:05.57 seconds set by China's Olympic champion Zhang Yufei at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022. She secured the gold medal by defeating her teammate Chang Mohan by more than three seconds, while Japan's Misa Okuzono won the bronze medal.

This is not Yu Jidi's first major international appearance; last year at the World Swimming Championships held in Singapore, she became the youngest medalist at the age of just 12. In that competition, she was part of China's bronze-medal-winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team and also finished fourth in three individual events.

Earlier this year, Yu Jidi had defeated American Olympic champion Regan Smith in the 200-meter butterfly. Now, on her debut at the Asian Games, she has also set a record with an individual gold medal.

Notably, Yu Jidi will turn 14 next month. The 200-meter butterfly was her first individual event at the Asian Games, and she still has two other individual events to participate in.

Despite the victory, Yu Jidi did not appear completely satisfied with her performance, describing it merely as 'okay.' She believes she has the potential to perform even better. With 13 years old, having become an Asian Games champion and record holder, all eyes are now on Yu Jidi worldwide.