Indian boxer Jadumani Singh moved into the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday after overcoming Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0 in the men’s competition.
Jadumani gradually took control of the bout after a competitive opening round in which Thapa attempted to unsettle the Indian with an attacking approach. Despite landing a clean left hook, the Nepalese boxer could not consistently find his target, with four judges giving Jadumani the first round.
The Indian raised the intensity in the second round, landing a series of accurate punches as Thapa began to tire. Jadumani again secured the round on four judges’ scorecards, putting himself firmly ahead before the final three minutes.
Jadumani maintained his composure in the closing round and produced the decisive moment when a powerful left hook forced a standing count against Thapa. He continued to pick his opportunities while avoiding the Nepalese boxer’s heavier attacks to complete a comfortable unanimous victory.
The result took Jadumani into the Round of 16, keeping India’s boxing campaign moving at the continental showpiece. Earlier, Sakshi Chaudhary also progressed after defeating Philippines’ Aira Villegas in the women’s 51kg Round of 32.
India also celebrated its first gold medal of the Games, with the women’s cricket team defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to retain the Asian Games title.
Elsewhere in boxing, India’s campaign produced mixed results, while shooting saw Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finish fourth in the 10m air rifle mixed team final. In skeet, Anantjeet Singh Naruka was second after two days of men’s qualification, while Mairaj Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill occupied 23rd and 35th positions respectively. Raiza Dhillon was fifth in the women’s event, followed by Parinaaz Dhaliwal in ninth and Maheshwari Chauhan in 16th.
India’s women’s table tennis team edged Thailand 3-2 in the Round of 16, but the men’s side went down 0-3 to the Republic of Korea. In badminton, India were eliminated from the women’s team event after a 3-1 quarterfinal defeat to Japan.
In fencing, Taniksha Khatri’s run ended in the women’s individual epee quarterfinals against South Korea’s Song Sera, while Mitva Chaudhari lost in the Round of 16. India’s Hemash Singh Sanasam and Sachin also exited in the men’s individual foil Round of 32.
India’s men registered a 63-31 victory over South Korea in the kabaddi Group A encounter. In sepaktakraw, however, India lost 0-3 to Malaysia in the men’s Team Regu Group B.
In soft tennis, Aryan Thakur defeated Mongolia’s Bold-erdene Altangerel 4-0 before losing to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Po-Yi. Aadhya Tiwari defeated Pakistan’s Kainaat Shallwani but remained out of knockout contention, while Jay Meena recorded a 4-0 win over Pakistan’s Hussain Arain.
Swimming saw Aryan Nehra finish fourth in the men’s 1500m freestyle B final. India’s Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston and Dhanush Suresh qualified for the men’s 4x100m medley final after finishing seventh overall in the heats.
In other events, karate’s Alisha Choudhary lost 1-6 to Indonesia’s Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani in the women’s -55kg Round of 16. In equestrian dressage, Ashish Limaye/Willy Be Dun finished 13th, Arjan Nagra/Cooley Goodwood 23rd and Fouaad Mirza/Camouflage 38 26th.
India’s eFootball pair Shakeel Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan in Group F, while wushu athlete Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam finished ninth.
