Current Affairs - Sports

India won the women’s kabaddi gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 by defeating Iran in the final. The Indian team secured a 37-34 victory in the gold medal match held in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. This triumph marked India’s fourth gold medal in women’s kabaddi at the Asian Games. India had previously won gold in 2010, 2014, and 2022, while earning silver in 2018. The 2026 victory also allowed India to successfully defend its women’s kabaddi title and maintain its strong record in the Asian Games.

India won the men’s kabaddi gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, defeating Iran 40-34 in the final on September 26. The victory allowed India to retain its men’s kabaddi title after its gold-medal success at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. India has a strong record in men’s kabaddi at the Asian Games, winning gold medals across multiple editions since the sport became a medal event in 1990. Iran has been one of India’s major rivals, including its gold-medal victory over India in 2018. The 2026 triumph added another gold to India’s Asian Games kabaddi record.

Jay Meena secured India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. He reached the men’s singles semi-finals after defeating Sherwin Nuguit of the Philippines 4-3 in the quarter-finals, thereby guaranteeing India a podium finish in the sport. Soft tennis is a variation of tennis played with soft rubber balls and is governed internationally by the International Soft Tennis Federation (ISTF). Meena had previously represented India at the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The 2026 Asian Games are being hosted in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

Seema Kumari won the bronze medal in the women’s 10,000m event at the Asian Games 2026 with a time of 32:50.05. Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won gold in 32:39.18, while Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka secured silver in 32:41.54. Seema’s bronze ended India’s 16-year wait for a medal in the women’s 10,000m event at the Asian Games. India also won silver in the mixed 4×400m relay with Manu TS, M.R. Poovamma, Vishal TK and Vithya Ramraj, clocking 3:14.46. Bahrain won gold in 3:12.87, while Vietnam took bronze in 3:14.54.

Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. She lifted a total of 198kg, comprising 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won the gold medal, while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri secured bronze with 191kg. Chanu’s achievement ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari’s 1998 performance. Chanu had previously finished fourth at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and ninth at Incheon 2014.