Indian Women's Archery Team Wins Gold Medal at Asian Games 2026, Defeating China

Niru Danda achieved a historic feat on Tuesday. The 26-year-old shooter from Haryana won India's first Olympic gold medal in the women's individual trap event at the Asian Games. Furthermore, Niru set a new Asian record by scoring 28 points.

Before her victory, Niru and India also won a silver medal in the women's trap team event. Thus, in one day, Niru helped the team reach the podium and then won gold in the individual event herself, making history.

This year has been one of many successes for Niru. In July, she became the first Indian woman to win gold in trap at the World Shooting Cup held in Italy. Now she has added a new chapter to the history of Indian shooting at the Asian Games.

By scoring 28 points, Niru surpassed the old Asian record of 24 points on four targets. Her shooting accuracy not only secured her gold but also allowed her to enter the tournament's record books.

The Indian women's cricket team once again demonstrated its dominance at the continental level, securing its second consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games. On Tuesday, in the final, the team crushed long-time rivals Sri Lanka with a score of 147 runs.

The gold medal, won by the team under Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership, was India's first of the current tournament. The victory was secured by a brilliant batting performance that forced Sri Lanka to chase a record target of 217 runs.

Smriti Mandhana played brilliantly, scoring 79 runs off 45 balls, while Richa Ghosh added powerful late-over hits, taking India's score to 216 for three wickets. This set a new record for the Asian Games.

After reaching this record total, the outcome of the match became clear. All hopes for Sri Lanka rested on captain Chamari Atapattu (29 runs off 21 balls), but she could not counter the Indians. Sri Lanka capitulated, scoring only 69 runs across all overs, which took 15.4 overs, as the Indian spinners completely controlled the game against them.

Shafali Verma showed versatile play, scoring 48 runs and taking 2.3 wickets, while Dipti Sharma (3 wickets for 6 balls) and Shri Charani (2 wickets) traditionally helped the team in the final, which was not an even contest.

India was considered the clear favorite for the title and lived up to expectations, securing three confident victories throughout the competition. Similar to the Asia Cup earlier this month, Sri Lanka found itself in the losing position in the final, unable to compete with their familiar rivals.

Pakistan won the bronze medal by defeating Bangladesh with a comfortable margin of 31 runs earlier that day. Since the scenario for the Indian women's team unfolded according to plan, it was expected that the men's team would also defend its title.

The team maximized the advantages of powerplay after winning the draw. Mandhana (79 runs off 45 balls) and Shafali (48 runs off 29 balls) took the team to 59 without loss in six overs. Both batters are in excellent form since the Asia Cup, making a significant contribution to the team's success in the decisive final by building a partnership of 99 runs off 60 balls. Sri Lanka's weak bowling allowed these batters to dictate the terms of the game, with both being extremely effective against the spinners.

The Indian women's team demonstrated outstanding results at the Asian Games, bringing honor to the country. The start of this major sporting event was exceptionally successful for Indian female athletes.

In particular, the Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, achieved a convincing victory over Bangladesh by a margin of 114 runs, thereby securing their place in the final. Now the Indian team will face Sri Lanka for the gold medal on September 22.