Asian Games 2026: Who are India's medal contenders today on September 20 (Day 1)?

Quimcy Dsouza will vie for two bronze medals on Sunday

India’s resolve at the Asian Games 2026 will gather momentum on Sunday, September 20, with athletes battling it out across several sports, including teqball, shooting, cricket, hockey, badminton and table tennis.

While the official opening ceremony took place on Saturday, matches in some sports have already begun. On Sunday, India’s focus will be on several medal events, with Quimcy Dsouza in contention for two bronze medals in teqball.

There is also an outside chance for Suraj Singh Mayanglambam to claim a medal in Wushu. Indian hockey teams, both men and women, will kick off their campaign in their respective pool matches. Indian Women’s cricket team-led by Harmanpreet Kaur will take on Bangladesh in the semi-final.

Also Read: Asian Games 2026: India’s updated schedule for Day 1 (September 20)

India’s medal contenders on September 20 (Day 1) at Asian Games 2026

Teqball — Quimcy Dsouza, Mohammed Anas Imran

Quimcy Dsouza will first be in action in the women’s singles bronze-medal match against Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto.

She will then team up with Mohamed Anas Imran Beg in the mixed doubles bronze-medal match against Vietnam’s Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Nghi Trinh.

The Indian mixed doubles pair had lost to the Vietnamese combination in the quarter-finals and will now get another opportunity to finish on the podium.

Also Read: Top five oldest Indian athletes participating at Asian Games 2026

Shooting — Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, and Vidarsa K Vinod

India will also be in action in the women’s 10m air rifle competition, represented by Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod. The individual qualification, which is scheduled from 6:15 AM IST, will also serve as a medal event for the teams category.

Shooters will have to finish in the top eight in qualification to qualify for the final, which is scheduled later in the day.

Elavenil brings significant senior international final experience, while Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod have shown high averages across national trials and junior international circuits.

Swimming — Benedicton Rohit, Akash Mani, Rishabh Das, Utkarsh Patil

The men’s 100m sprint events in Asia are among the fastest in the world, dominated by Olympic and world champions from China (such as Pan Zhanle and Xu Jiayu), Japan, and South Korea.

Swimmers Benedict Rohit, Akash Mani, Rishabh Das and Utkarsh Patil will have to put up a herculean effort to qualify first followed by making an attempt at the podium.

Also Read: Asian Games 2026: Updated day-wise India schedule for all sports

Wushu: Suraj Singh Mayanglambam

Changquan is a single-round routine judged on aerial difficulty, acrobatics, and technical landing execution. Going head-to-head against traditional East Asian giants (China, Japan, South Korea), a podium finish will require an error-free routine.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram