Who are India's youngest & oldest athletes at Asian Games 2026?

The youngest athlete is 15 years old, while the oldest is 55.

The Asian Games 2026 get underway in just three days (September 19, Saturday) in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. India will target another strong outing across multiple disciplines, hoping to improve on its 109-medal haul from the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.

The Indian contingent will consist of 503 athletes (Men: 269, Women: 234) across 36 sports disciplines. While some are seasoned veterans with multiple appearances at the prestigious event, others are young athletes preparing to make their Asian Games debut.

But have you ever wondered who will be the youngest and oldest athletes in India’s contingent at this edition of the Asian Games? Keep reading; the answers might shock you:

The youngest is a cricket prodigy

Yes, you got that absolutely right. The young cricketing sensation who has taken the world by storm, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, will be the youngest athlete in the entire Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2026.

He is only 15 years old and has been a gem to watch on the ground, smashing records in almost every competition he features in.

Sooryavanshi burst onto the scene during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), making his debut for the Rajasthan Royals at just 14 years old and becoming the youngest player to feature in the tournament.

He marked the occasion in style, smashing the first delivery he faced for a six. He later hit a 35-ball century, the second-fastest in IPL history, becoming the youngest centurion in T20 cricket.

Related: A look at India’s medal winners at Asian Games 2022

Since then, Sooryavanshi has continued to make his mark. His performances helped India win the 2026 Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, while he also enjoyed a prolific IPL 2026 campaign, winning multiple honours, including the Orange Cap for finishing as the season’s leading run-scorer.

Sooryavanshi made his senior Team India T20I debut in England in July and has recorded a highest score of 81 so far. He will now look to carry his impressive form into the Asian Games, where he is expected to play an important role in India’s bid to defend the gold medal won at Hangzhou 2022.

Equestrian gets the oldest

As for the oldest member of India’s contingent at the Asian Games 2026, that distinction belongs to veteran equestrian Shruti Vora. She will be competing at 55.

Hailing from Kolkata, West Bengal, Vora has loved riding horses since she was just three years old. She took up competitive equestrianism in 2009 and trained in Europe under Jitendarjit Singh Ahluwalia.

During this period, she was inspired by German equestrian and Olympic medallist Reiner Klimke, which led her to take up dressage. She also briefly trained under him. Vora also underwent training under Anne Jensen-Van Olst and Patrick Le Rolland.

Related: How many medals did India win at Asian Games 2022?

She participated in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. In 2022, Vora competed at the FEI World Championships alongside Anush Agarwalla, becoming one of the first Indian riders to compete in individual dressage at the event.

She is yet to win a medal at these Games and is expected to give her all in Aichi-Nagoya. However, riding her horse Magnanimous, Vora already has three silver medals to her name at the 2025 Asian Championships held in Pattaya, winning them in the individual, individual freestyle and team events.

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